What happens in Venice
by ThreeMagpies
Summary: A Revolution fic: Bass Monroe/Charlie Matheson, Jeremy Baker. Charloe; No Blackout AU. Bass Monroe has a well-earned reputation as a stunt man, fighter and womanizer. His Agent & friend, Jeremy Baker is used to smoothing the way, dealing with hotel suites, twitter accounts & jealous boyfriends. After a fight with her mom, Charlie needs to get away - flying to Venice to find Bass.
1. Chapter 1

' **What happens in Venice…'**

A Revolution fic: Bass Monroe/Charlie Matheson, Jeremy Baker. Charloe; No Blackout AU.

Sebastian Monroe has a well-earned reputation as a stunt man, fighter and womanizer and his Agent and friend, Jeremy Baker is used to smoothing the way, dealing with hotel suites, publicity, twitter accounts, restaurant bookings and jealous boyfriends, as well as organising his MMA bouts, video shoots and generally doing everything but brush his teeth…

Charlie Matheson has known Jeremy for years. A kind of adopted member of her family, he's been a shoulder to cry on, a strong arm when she needed a sparring partner and there for her to talk to when her family were busy with other things - which was most of the time. She also knows Bass, although she hasn't seen him up close since he left Jasper when she was a teenager with a major crush...

After a raging argument with her mom, Charlie has to get away. Jeremy and Bass are working in Venice, so she decides to fly there to meet up with them…

 **Author's note:**

Hi there and thanks so much for reading. This is a birthday fic for the lovely and hugely talented Hayjbsb! Happy birthday Hay, wishing you lots of all the good things - health, wealth, happiness, and lots of fun.

I'd like to send a big thank you to LoveForTheStory, for listening, for her wise and thoughtful advice and for her knowledge of Venice! She's actually been there! Not that I'm jealous or anything, really… Oh, and I don't own anything of Revolution.

Cross posted on Ao3.

' **What happens in Venice…'**

Marco Polo airport was crowded, frantic and inside looked pretty much like every other airport she'd ever been in except for the signs mostly in Italian, the posters and murals of Carnivale everywhere and the hotel transfer concierge in a gondoliers outfit… There was no sign of Jeremy yet though, so Charlie bought herself a takeaway espresso and headed off to the carousels to retrieve her baggage, glad she'd worn a summer dress and brought a sun hat, it was hot...

Outside, she found a spot to wait near the crowded vaporetto dock, parked her bag, close by, slung her tote over her shoulder, just in case, and sat down. The view was incredible. The water was dazzling in the hazy Venetian sun and the distant, magical, pastel view of the city was like a picture postcard. There were boats and people everywhere of all sizes, shapes and colours, but the sounds of engines, voices and horns, music of all kinds and the cries of birds were all muffled by the water, fractured like the choppy little waves on the lagoon.

A light breeze from the city ruffled her hair, it smelled of the sea and fish with a heavy seasoning of oil and fuel and the faintest tang of something musty, mouldy and really, really old…

Her phone pinged, and she found a message from Jeremy. They'd been delayed on set and he'd be another half an hour at least. From the sound of it, Monroe was being a pain in the ass about something and for a moment she considered getting her own ride to the apartment. But Jeremy had sounded so excited about coming to get her and she sat back, getting as comfortable as she could on the metal seats….

There was a message from her dad too, telling her to be careful, and one from Danny asking her to bring him back something from the film set Monroe and Jeremy were working on…but nothing from her mom. That was a relief actually, because they'd both said things that were going to take a while to get over…

Miles had sent an email asking her to check out good places to stay and Charlie smiled. Since he'd met Nora – at a fight night of course, Miles had stopped drinking so much, had taken up running and started training again… Mixed martial arts, like before, like Nora, like Jeremy – and Charlie too, it was something that she'd grown up with, something almost everyone she knew did, except Danny of course, he was too fragile, along with hunting, growing food, survivalist stuff… Hell, between them they were ready and prepared to save the town, or their part of it anyway, from almost anything. But then, with her parents working for the DoD for the last few years, being prepared had taken on an extra layer somehow, it felt important, because knowing her mom and dad anything could happen anytime. They were working on some pretty crazy stuff…

And then there was Bass Monroe. One of their own, although he'd been away from Jasper for so long getting famous that he'd become a kind of myth, people remembered him and were proud of his success but it was always tinged with pity, because of the reason he'd left.

A drunk driver had run Bass' parents and two younger sisters off the road on their way to see a movie, killing them as well as himself. As soon as the funerals were done Bass had left town and had never been back. Before that though, he and her uncle Miles had been best friends from the time they were kids together playing at soldiers. They'd been in the Marines together, toured together, come back alive together, but after the accident, it was as though he wanted to leave everything behind, even the good things.

Charlie knew Miles still hurt about it…

She sighed, she was beyond sorry about his family, but couldn't understand why he'd just cut himself off from everyone and everything like that. Everyone except Jeremy, although he was a friend from the Marines, he hadn't grown up in Jasper…

And now, well she'd read the stories about Bass, seen photos of him with a different woman every time, always with that big smile, the arm around a shoulder, the blue eyes smiling too but giving nothing away. The women were usually young and beautiful, blond and curvy in all the right places and they always clung to him as if they thought they could be the one, that special one. But they never were...

She'd always wondered why, but whenever she asked Jeremy he just clammed right up.

Bass wasn't just a serial dater though, he was a stuntman, very expensive and very in demand, because a lot of people still wanted the real thing, wanted real action, real danger. Working alone or as part of a team, he did things that very few others would – or could. Someone on Youtube had even christened him Mr fucking Invincible and he was making so much money that he really didn't have to do anything else, although of course he did. In his spare time he fought MMA bouts and made videos demonstrating historical and contemporary hand to hand combat skills and weapons techniques. She knew that because she'd watched every single one, had memorised them, practiced the moves over and over…

But it was as though he never stopped fighting…

She yawned, despite the coffee. It had been a long trip, and back home it was still the early hours of the morning, not nearly lunchtime.

'Charlie?' the familiar voice came from the dock, rising above the noise…

She grinned, standing up and waving as the tall, good-looking figure came striding towards her. Jeremy was looking smart and very movie star cosmopolitan in a dark well-cut suit, a white shirt crisp against his tanned, blond handsomeness… 'Hi Jer,'

He pulled her into an expensively scented hug, his chest broad and wonderfully solid under her cheek, his arms strong and familiar… 'Hey, Charlie, it's so good to see you'

She breathed him in and hugged tighter…'It's good to see you too, and you smell amazing,'

He pulled back a little, the blue eyes dancing down at her, 'what can I say, the Venetians take shower gel very fucking seriously…' He let go and bent to get her bags, 'Come on, I want to show you our Palazzo'

'A palace?' Charlie's grin was so wide her cheeks ached, 'you're kidding, really?'

He led her to a smart blue and white water taxi, handing her luggage down to the young – and gorgeous - driver, who took them with a smile and a cheery, dark eyed, 'Buongiorno, Signorina', then he climbed down and held a hand out to help her into the boat. 'Not kidding, it really is…'

And it was…

Jeremy pointed the Palazzo out to her as they made their way down the Canale Grande… 'It's called Ca' Cerchieri, and we have the piano nobile…' He put his arm round her, pulling her against him, 'which means, chica, the noble floor, or the main floor, the best bits…'

Charlie leaned against his shoulder, staring, her mouth open, it was beautiful, incredible, like something out of a history book… 'We're actually staying there?'

He laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners, 'Just wait, it's even better inside. Bass wanted a place with some privacy but where we could throw a party if we wanted to.'

They pulled up at the dock in front of the Palazzo and Jeremy threw her bags up onto the wooden walkway, jumped up himself and helped her out.

The boat drew away, their driver waving and saluting…

The smell of must and old, damp wood and stone was all around them, although the walkway itself was quite dry, at the moment anyway, Charlie had read about Venice and it's floods on the plane…'So the first floor is just empty?'

Jeremy opened the metal security door, then the doors behind that and held them open for her, 'Yep, most of these old places get flooded so often that no one uses the ground floor any more, this one's all blocked off for safety – everything's up on the second and third floors.' He locked the doors again, picked up her bags, then turned and grinned, 'and we've got the whole of the second '

'Wow…' Charlie couldn't stop smiling.

Just inside there was an old-fashioned lacework cage lift, and they piled everything into it then stepped in. It was old and creaked a little, but the ride was pretty smooth considering.

'Are there any fire stairs?' She was wondering what would happen if the lift didn't work.

Jeremy nodded, 'yeah, back entrance…' then he patted the metal cage, 'but the old girl doesn't break down that much'

She laughed, 'so how much is much?'

His lips twisted into his wry grin, 'a few, we've been here two weeks and we've used the stairs more than once or twice.' The lift shuddered to a halt and he slid open the door…'but she's ok at the moment, they came and fixed her again a couple of days ago…'

They were in an elegant hall with paintings on the walls, sculptures on antique tables and decorative plaster and stone work everywhere…

Jeremy held a hand out with an elegant bow that looked right at home in this place. 'After you, signorina,' He picked up her bags again and they walked through into a huge, opulent room – with a grand piano, massive, ornate chandeliers, old paintings and rugs, antique chairs and a high, ceiling lined with wooden beams that looked like they'd been there for centuries and probably had…

Charlie didn't know where to look first. It was like being in a museum.

Jeremy put her bags down, 'I'll show you your room in a minute. You've got to see this first…' He led her towards a set of bright French doors at the end of the room and when they went through those they were standing on a stone balcony that looked out over the whole fucking Grand Canal…

She gasped, leaning on the wall under one of the arches, her eyes wide. 'Oh…my…God, Jeremy, this is incredible, I love it.'

'Wait till you see it at night…'

It wasn't Jeremy…

She jumped and swung round, forgetting all about the view.

He was leaning against the door jamb, tall, beautiful, lean and elegant in a grey suit that looked like it had been moulded on him, a snowy white shirt framing his throat and a little smile twitching his lips between the van dyke moustache and neat beard. He took a step towards her, those incredibly blue eyes looking her up and down, leaving tingling, goose bump trails behind them... 'Hello Charlotte, it's good to see you again,' He held out a hand, 'and you're even more beautiful than I remember.'

She swallowed, her mouth dry, pussy wet, heart pounding and nipples on instant alert. Shit, she'd forgotten the effect he had on her, that he'd always had on her… She took his hand, 'Hi, Bass.' Damn, her voice sounded like she'd been smoking something.

His fingers wrapped round hers and he took them up to his lips, his eyes on hers, his kiss soft, lingering. 'You're all grown up.'

'Yeah…' She blinked, and now she sounded like an idiot. She took her fingers back, stroking her hand down over his lapel, then narrowed her eyes and gave him a sharp edged smirk, a challenge. 'It happens'

He laughed, 'believe me, I'm not complaining…'

There was the sound of someone clearing his throat behind her, and Charlie turned again, only now remembering that Jeremy was there too. Damn...

He was standing looking from her to Bass, his handsome face carefully blank although a little muscle jerked at the side of his jaw, 'Uh, guys, maybe we should all go inside? Lunch will be here any minute…'

Bass chuckled, 'thanks for the reminder, Jer, I'm starving…' He tucked Charlie's hand under his arm and looked down at her, his eyes glinting, 'are you hungry too, Charlotte?'

She looked up at him, almost, almost losing herself in hot, beautiful blue. And she nodded, her tongue flicking out over her bottom lip, feeling excitement ripple through her belly… 'Oh yeah, and I prefer Charlie…'

He smiled, 'I like it too, Charlie it is….'

Then they stepped together through the wide open double doors and into the cool shadows of the palazzo…

Jeremy stood there for a moment, his face tense. 'Oh shit…'

….

AN: I really hope you enjoyed this. I think there'll be a couple more chapters, coming as soon as I can write them! So, happy birthday, Hayj, and wishing Revoinfinite a very happy birthday too, I wish I could spend all my time writing, but earning money is a sort of necessity… all the best! Xx Magpie


	2. Chapter 2

' **What happens in Venice' part 2**

A Revolution fic: Bass Monroe/Charlie Matheson, Jeremy Baker. Charloe; No Blackout AU.

Sebastian Monroe has a well-earned reputation as a stunt man, fighter and womanizer and his Agent and friend, Jeremy Baker is used to smoothing the way, dealing with hotel suites, publicity, twitter accounts, restaurant bookings and jealous boyfriends, as well as organising his MMA bouts, video shoots and generally doing everything but brush his teeth…

Charlie Matheson has known Jeremy for years. A kind of adopted member of her family, he's been a shoulder to cry on, a strong arm when she needed a sparring partner and there for her to talk to when her family were busy with other things - which was most of the time. She also knows Bass, although she hasn't seen him up close since he left Jasper when she was a teenager with a major crush...

After a raging argument with her mom, Charlie has to get away. Jeremy and Bass are working in Venice, so she decides to fly there to meet up with them…

 **Author's note:**

Hi there and thanks so much for reading and joining me for the second part of this birthday story for Hayj Oh, I still don't own anything of Revolution, but I wish I did...

' **What happens in Venice' part 2**

Charlie was feeling more than a little light headed with the combination of jetlag, amazement at her surroundings and her body's reaction to being this close to Bass Monroe. He moved so quietly, so smoothly with the kind of relaxed readiness for anything that only came after years of physical training, and she was totally aware of every brush of his body against hers, every touch of his hand on the bare skin of her arms, her shoulders. His hands were hard, strong. She could feel them through the light fabric of her dress over her waist and back and his warm breath was soft against her cheek making her shiver with anticipation of more…

She took a couple of deep, steadying breaths. Shit, get a grip… but it was too late, her mind had already stripped him naked, her hands roaming over that golden skin, the toned muscles, the broad chest and wide shoulders, the six pack that she knew was there, and lower…

'Hey… Earth to Charlie?'

She jumped, her eyes flying wide to meet his amused blue gaze…'Oh, sorry,' and damn it, she could feel herself blushing. 'I think maybe I'm jet lagged or something.' Yeah, or something... She mentally kicked herself…

He smiled down at her, 'probably are… you should have a rest after lunch, everyone and everything here comes to a screeching halt between one and three in the afternoon anyway.' He walked with her to where she and Jeremy had left her bags near the piano. 'Come on, I'll show you to your room while Jer organises the food.' He grinned over at Jeremy who'd followed them into the big room, 'in the big dining room, Jer?'

Jeremy nodded, his face impassive, 'Yeah, Giovanni just sent a text, they're on their way.' He held Bass' eyes for a moment, then spread his hands out like an Italian mafioso, 'Hey, I've got an idea. What if Charlie and I swap rooms?' He turned to her, 'mine's way over on the other side of the apartment, Charlie, near the stairs, away from everyone else, and if you happened to meet some nice young guy and wanted to have a Venice fling?' he wriggled his eyebrows, 'you wouldn't have the two of us older guys cramping your style…'

Charlie couldn't help it, her eyes flew up to see what Bass thought about that but he was still looking at Jeremy, a little smile playing around his lips. Then she realized that Jeremy was just worried about her and whatever was happening between her and Bass. He always got a bit OTT when he was worried. It was sweet, even though she wondered how on earth he thought that some young guy could be as interesting as Bass Monroe, and if Bass was interested in her too, even for a little while, she was totally ok with it… 'I don't want to swap rooms, Jeremy, I'll be fine, really' and she smiled. He was just trying to be a good friend...

He sighed and lowered his arms, looking defeated…

Bass turned to her, his eyes amused again but with something so hot and urgent in their depths that it sent ripples straight to her clit and set her heart pounding again, 'I think our Jeremy's worried that I might try to take advantage of you, Charlie.' He stood in front of her as though he was waiting for something. 'But you're quite safe, I promise. Twitter rumours to the contrary, I only take advantage if a woman wants me to…'

Her breath caught in her throat when she thought of all the ways he could…Damn it, she didn't want to be safe with him, she wanted…

And for fuck's sake, they were both staring at her now, waiting for her to say something...

She took a deep breath, let it out then frowned at each of them in turn, 'Will you two please lighten up?' Then she couldn't help smiling a bit, because Jeremy still looked like doctor doom… She sighed and went over to him, reaching up and patting his shoulder, 'I'm not helpless Jer, and you know it. You've trained with me and you know that I wouldn't let anyone touch me if I didn't want them to, so you can quit worrying about me, ok?'

One of Bass' eyebrows lifted and his lips twitched…

Jeremy had the grace to look a little embarrassed, 'Sorry, Charlie, I didn't mean to come over like your dad, it's just…'

'You felt like you should, I know…' She wrapped her arms around him, feeling him relax just a little, 'you are very sweet, Jer, and I'll tell dad you did your best to keep me on the straight and narrow, ok?' She smiled up at him, her dimple flashing.

He rolled his eyes, 'Ok, but I'd still rather not be the one to tell Ben, or Miles about…whatever this is… so how about I close my eyes if I see something I don't want to know about?' he looked down at her again, then over at Bass, who shrugged, 'because that was some serious flirting going on back there…'

She shrugged too, 'you can close your eyes if you want, ' then the dimple flashed again, 'but you might find yourself bumping into lots of things…'

He chuckled, hugging her back, 'Ok, ok, I give up…'

'All grown up, Jer, remember?' She reached up to kiss him on the cheek, then let go, went back and picked up one of her bags, hoisting it over her shoulder, 'Now where's my room, I want to get changed and I'm seriously hungry enough to eat the furniture.'

Bass picked up the last bag, his teeth flashing white in a wide smile. 'Can't let you do that, Charlie, we'd lose the security deposit, your room's this way…'

She followed him, the huge space welcoming and strangely intimate despite its size. There were comfortable looking seating areas set along the walls, bright Persian rugs in crimson, vermilion, purple and cream, portraits and archaic scenes on the walls in ornate gold and pewter frames, the chandeliers were beautiful – crystal flowers glittering in the light reflecting on glass and the pale painted ceiling… She sighed happily as she walked, 'I love this place, it's incredible,' her words seemed to echo just a little and she laughed…

He pointed across the room to an arched doorway, 'that's mine' then he turned to a similar one on their side, opening both of the doors with a flourish… 'And this one's yours,' He held out a hand for her to go first…

She walked past him into the room, her eyes wide. It was very, very big, almost the size of the lounge room and dining room combined back home, and beautiful, all in creams, blues and gold with an enormous, dark framed four-poster bed at one end, its pale, gauzy curtains billowing down over the posts in graceful, shadowy folds. A white and gold baroque wardrobe stood at the other end and there was a seating area in between with two small cream and blue couches set around a glass-topped coffee table. Another of the flowered chandeliers hung from the high, ornate ceiling in the centre of the room and a pair of big Tiffany lamps were set on small tables on either side of the bed. A large flat screen tv was set onto the wall, tilted towards the bed and a door was ajar beside that, a shining white, claw-foot bath just visible through the crack.

She was definitely going to overuse her stash of superlatives soon. 'Wow…'

Bass walked over to the robe and put her bag down on the low bench next to it, 'you can see the garden if you look out the window.'

She dropped the bag she was carrying next to the other one, and went to look, holding back fine gauze curtains that smelled faintly of lavender and lemon. Way down below she could see high stone walls around sunlit velvet green lawns, tall, shady trees and fountains, water sparkling over dolphins, nymphs and assorted gods…'It looks lovely, Bass'. She felt him come up behind her, the heat of his body sending little ripples of sensation over her skin, making her feel raw, exposed, every nerve open. Her breath caught again as the air seemed to disappear and she struggled against the urge to just lean back against him.

Shit…what was happening to her? She hadn't been this way about other men, had she? It was like she had a fever, it was hard to think straight when he was so close…

Then he put a hand next to hers on the window frame, his body surrounding her, almost, almost touching her, his lips close to her ear, 'did you mean what you said back there, Charlie?'

Out of the corner of her eye she could see every little curling hair of his beard, every long, blond tipped eyelash, the hard male curve of his lips, the straight nose, gorgeous cheekbones, and it was as though everything went still around them, quiet, waiting. Had she meant it? He'd been in her thoughts and dreams for so long now that it was hard to believe this was happening… that this was her chance to see if she was just one more young, pretty, disposable blonde, there in his life one day, gone the next, or if there was something else, something more...

She felt reckless though, right now anyway, maybe as reckless as he was, and he was worth the risk, because she didn't know if she'd ever have another chance...

She turned to face him, so he could see that she was telling the truth, 'Yes, I meant it.'

His eyes lit up, the light from the window catching them making them look like deep, bottomless blue pools, and he smiled, 'good…that's good' then he moved forwards just a little, one hand landing softly on her shoulder, stroking down her arm as his lips came closer…

She kept her eyes open until he was too close and she couldn't focus… and then his mouth was on hers, gently exploring at first, then harder, deeper, his breath warm and sweet, the scent of sandalwood and something more spicy on his skin and a kind of laugh rippled through her belly along with an excitement like lava in her veins although her lips were way too busy with his to let it out. She was coming to love Venetian shower gels…

His arms tightened around her, his mouth more demanding on hers, his tongue invading, dipping in, hard then soft, his body pressing close, the whole length of him hard, muscled male, so strong…

She leaned into him, her breasts cushioned against his chest, arms snaking up around his neck, her breath coming faster, blood rushing like a river of heat in her veins and her heart beating so fucking loud it felt like it was going to burst. She swayed her hips towards him, helpless, her pussy feeling heavy, full, so wet, wanting to be filled, and she was so close to coming just from this…

His hands circled her waist, pulling her closer still, the thick ridge of his cock big and hard against her belly and ribs, then he slid a knee in between hers, lifting her onto her toes…letting her ride him, the muscles of his thigh flexing against her clit and the fabric of her dress pulled tight on her skin like a thousand fingers…

She tightened her legs around him, the heat and hardness so fucking good against her flesh that she cried out as she came in bright sparking floods against his thigh, her voice muffled by his lips on hers, feeling his satisfied laugh rumbling against her breasts…

There was the sound of a bell ringing somewhere, clear, insistent, loud, it echoed into the room…

'Shit…' He pulled back a little, breathing hard, his leg moving back from between hers and he dropped a light kiss on her lips, 'That's the bell for lunch…' He looked down at her, eyes dancing, 'and we'd better go, or Jeremy'll come looking...' He kissed her again, 'Did you want to get changed?'

'What?' she was panting too, shivers and lightening bursts of excitement and anticipation and a really good orgasm rocking her world until she really wasn't sure which way was up…

He laughed, one hand brushing a long strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes teasing this time, 'you look absolutely gorgeous just as you are, Charlie, but I thought you said you wanted to get changed?'

'Oh, yeah…' she grinned back at him, her hands roaming over his chest, sliding under his jacket, loving the feel of him, the contours of narrow waist, shoulder blade, heavy pads of muscle, smooth skin… 'But I know what I want right now… and it's not more clothes.'

His eyes darkened and he ran his tongue over his lips, tasting her, 'Oh Charlie…' he leaned down and kissed her again, hard and fast, then pulled back, his eyes teasing again, 'Part of the fun is the anticipation, the waiting…'

The bell rang again, louder this time.

Damn it, she'd been waiting long enough. She heaved a sigh, but through the haze of arousal her stomach was growling at the thought of food… 'Ok, then I guess we can go,' She looked over at her bags, trying to remember which one she'd packed her other dresses in, then deciding that she didn't care, 'and I'm fine as I am, I can't remember where I put anything anyway…' She pulled her dress straight, fluffing out the wrinkles he'd put there, then looked up and he was laughing at her again…

Then he went quiet, the smile gone and his face serious. 'You've turned into a hell of a woman, Charlie. You're smart and beautiful and sexy as all get out and you deserve so much from life… ' He sucked in a breath, 'so I need to tell you something before we go any further, because there's still time to stop this, for us just to be friends, for you to go find your little Venetian…' He looked into her eyes, searching, 'I'm not good at relationships, Charlie, haven't been for a long time, although I guess you probably already know that, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you, so you have to decide, yes or no, right now, because I'm not going to lie to you, I can't promise you anything more than this, right here, right now...'

She nodded, looking away, 'I know, and it's alright,' which was a lie, but he didn't need to know that… Then she took a deep breath, meeting his eyes again, hoping hers didn't give her away. 'Bass, like you said before, I'm all grown up, and I don't want us to stop, so let's just enjoy it, ok? For however long it lasts' Then she curved her lips into her wicked, dimpled smile, making sure it reached her eyes…'Besides, don't they say that what happens in Venice, stays in Venice?'

He chuckled, 'I'm pretty sure that was Vegas, but it'll do…' He breathed out a sigh, then held out an arm, 'Ok then, may I have the great pleasure of escorting you to lunch, Signorina?'

…..

The big dining room was spectacular, and Charlie felt her jaw drop as they walked in… The walls were lined with painted silk, scenes of landscapes, trees, flowers and birds dancing across the room and another of the gorgeous chandeliers hung above the big antique table set with a luxurious setting for three... The narrow, velvet curtained windows looked out over the Canale which was busy now with boatloads of travellers going home or somewhere else to spend the afternoon in sleep or rest, ready for a night of parties, late dinners, carnivale…

Jeremy was waiting for them, his face a study in mixed emotions and a glass of deep red wine in his hand that he drained as they walked in, and he looked at her then Bass, his eyes carefully blank…

He knew, of course he did, and Charlie smiled, and talked about ordinary things, the movie they were working on… what to see in Venice, what was happening back home… trying to reassure him, because he still looked so torn…

The food was wonderful, but then she hadn't expected anything else. There were loaves of crusty, chewy Italian bread, still warm from the oven, bowls of olives, cheese platters, cold meats… fruit and pastries. And the wine was amazing…

But despite all of that and the fact that she was completely ravenous, the thing that occupied her mind and her body most was Bass sitting next to her. She buzzed with it, with him so close… wanting more as his leg gently brushed against hers under the table, his hand on hers as he passed her the basket of the chewy, fragrant bread or poured her another glass of red wine, his long fingers careful, precise, his shoulder touching hers as he bent to tell her something about the palazzo.

She felt heavy with wanting him…

He leaned closer, 'It's actually called the Palazzo Loredan dell'ambasciatore, Charlie. The Ambassadors palace, and it was built in the 15th century.' His eyes were bright, fascinated, 'it was the Austrian Embassy for years…'

She looked at his face, he was so alive, so vibrant, and she realized that she'd been wrong all this time. She'd thought he was running away from life, seeking out danger because he didn't care… But he did, he cared a whole lot. It was like he couldn't face Jasper and what he'd lost there, and of course that was tied up with the whole not doing relationships well thing too, because the only thing he was frightened of was losing more. And the stunts? The fighting? They were like a challenge to whatever had taken his family as well as a way of using up some of his restless energy. It was like he was offering himself up. Here take me as well… She blinked away unexpected tears, not wanting him to see…

Jeremy leaned towards them and joined in the conversation, 'The Loredan's were really important back then, Charlie, very political,' he tipped his head towards the big room, 'and the portraits in there? They're of some of the family.' He drained his glass and placed it back on the table, dabbing his mouth with one of the thick, creamy linen napkins, 'They were a pretty wild bunch too apparently…' Then he stood up, pushing his chair in. 'I'm going for a walk, but I'll be back in time to get things ready for tonight, ok?'

Bass looked up at him, 'Thanks, Jer.'

Charlie glanced from him to Jeremy, 'tonight?'

'Fight night, Charlie…'

She turned back to Bass, 'Could I go?' she hadn't expected to see him fight for real, it'd be a whole universe better than a video and a story she could take back to Miles and Nora.

He looked pleased, 'sure, it's a demonstration match, the Venetians have a guy they think is pretty good,' Then he grinned at her, the angles of his face predatory, confident, 'But I'm better…' He looked at Jeremy, 'Can we swing an extra seat, Jer?'

'Yeah, leave it with me,' Jeremy turned for the door, then paused, looking back at Charlie, then Bass, 'You know I love you both, don't you, so be careful with each other?'

Then he left and they were alone.

Between them they got the remains of the food put away into the fridge in the big kitchen next door, stacked the dishwasher and put the linen aside for the maid service later. It was such an ordinary thing to do in that place that it felt slightly unreal even without all the sexual tension.

Charlie knew Bass kept looking at her, because she kept looking at him, the air vibrating between them, and she honestly didn't know how they managed to do it all and not break or spill anything. She did like the way they worked together though, they were both neat, methodical - and he obviously knew his way around a kitchen.

But as she knelt down to put the last dish in the washer, her heart was pounding and her mouth dry with tension. She looked down at her hands and they were shaking. Then, when she stood up and turned around, he was right there… Tall and so beautiful he took her breath away and he was looking at her as though she was the only other thing in the world.

He took a step towards her, his eyes never leaving hers, 'I think we can leave the rest of it.'

She nodded, feeling dizzy, swollen, breathless, every part of her waiting.

And then she was in the air, his arms under her thighs lifting her up and around, wrapping her legs round his waist, so he could kiss her as they went, his arms hard and strong under her ass, his mouth pulling hers into a crashing, wine flavoured, heated kiss, her hair flying and falling over them both…

The high ceilings and echoing spaces of the long room went by in a blur of colours and whirling shapes as he carried her towards the bedrooms, her senses reeling as she tasted him, devoured him and he feasted on her… She tightened her legs, hooking her ankles together to give her more leverage, her hands playing with his hair, stroking over his shoulders, the muscles like iron under her fingers…

And then they were in a room, she thought it was his but couldn't be sure because she'd lost any idea of where they were by then and he lowered her down onto something soft, yielding, velvety, her legs slipping from around his waist, his eyes gleaming above her, full of intent… Then his weight and length were heavy next to her, the bed dipping with it and she fell against him, laughing, as he bent to kiss her again, his hands moving over her shoulders, sliding the straps of her dress down, her breasts suddenly free in the warm air, her nipples pebbling just because he was there…

He paused, just looking down at her, smiling, his eyes gone dark, gathering all the light… 'So beautiful…'

The fingers of one hand trailed over her nipples, circled her breasts.

She gasped, her back arching up towards him, her clit aching, her pussy so wet she could feel the juices on her thighs, her panties soaked and hot.

He dipped down, suckling one nipple then the other, while his hand stroked the skin over her ribs, down over her hip and leg to the hem of her dress, sliding underneath and back up, gathering the material until it bunched at her waist in soft folds.

Then she felt his fingers on the little triangle of lacy fabric as he cupped her, his hand big and warm, his fingers pushing the sodden fabric between her pussy lips, gently rubbing it over her clit, the textures catching on the sensitive bud as he circled over it.

She gasped, her hips rising into his hand, her legs falling open to let him closer, feel more of her… 'Bass?' Shit, she was going to die if he didn't fuck her soon…

He laughed, low and husky... 'So beautifully wet too…' He moved down the bed until he was kneeling between her legs, his hands on the little straps of her panties, sliding them down over her hips, her thighs, the little string of the thong coming out from between the cheeks of her ass with a wet, juicy sound and leaving a cool trail on the inside of her legs.

Charlie licked her lips, waiting to see what he was going to do as he slowly freed her pussy, exposing the neat little triangle of dark golden curls just above her slit, her little arrow, the rest of her bare, smooth, swollen with need.

He moved back again, carefully lifting the little scrap of material over her feet, taking her shoes at the same time and letting them fall, then climbing back onto the bed, sliding her legs even wider apart, his eyes on her pussy, his tongue flickering out over his lips, his chest rising and falling as fast as hers…

She could see the thick outline of his cock straining at the seams of his pants, and her breath got faster with anticipation as he reached down, flipped his belt open and unbuttoned his fly. His cock sprang out, long and thick and heavy, it's veined length topped by a thick ridged, rounded helmet.

She smiled and hummed her approval…

He swallowed, taking his cock in his hand, his fingers sliding a condom over the slippery head and heavy shaft, 'The first time might be hard and fast, Charlie, I don't think I can do slow right now…'

She licked her lips, opening her legs even wider, rubbing her hands over her breasts and down, her fingers playing with her clit, her pussy lips, her fingers slippery and wet, inviting him in, watching his face become feral, flushed, need making his eyes burn, knowing her own were the same, 'hard and fast is good right now, Bass, believe me…'

He was on her with a groan, his hand frantic as he found her opening with his cock head, sliding inside with a wet, greedy sound that got louder, wetter as they found a hard, fast rhythm, his cock filling her, stretching her out, his balls slapping soft against her flesh with every deep thrust, their bodies moving together, straining, hands grasping at hands, lips joining in hard, frantic kisses, shared moans...

Charlie wrapped her legs round him, her hands pulling him closer as she felt herself shattering into little shining pieces around him and felt him pulsing inside her as they tumbled into a pile of messy limbs and tangled fabric…

When she had enough breath to speak again a laugh bubbled up in her throat, although she was a little uncomfortable 'Bass, I'm sorry, but your belt buckle is sticking into my ass and I think my dress is trying to strangle me'

He lifted his head from the pillow beside her, a laugh in his voice too, 'we'd better take them off then…'

…

AN: Hope you enjoyed this bit. I know I said there'd be one more chapter, but I have a feeling it might stretch into two. Hope you don't mind Thanks so much for reading, cheers, Magpie…


	3. Chapter 3

' **What happens in Venice' part 3**

A Revolution fic: Bass Monroe/Charlie Matheson, Jeremy Baker. Charloe; No Blackout AU.

Sebastian Monroe has a well-earned reputation as a stunt man, fighter and womanizer and his Agent and friend, Jeremy Baker is used to smoothing the way, dealing with hotel suites, publicity, twitter accounts, restaurant bookings and jealous boyfriends, as well as organising his MMA bouts, video shoots and generally doing everything but brush his teeth…

Charlie Matheson has known Jeremy for years. A long time friend of her family, he's been a shoulder to cry on, a strong arm when she needed a sparring partner and always there for her to talk to when her family were busy with other things - which was most of the time. She also knows Bass, although she hasn't seen him up close since he left Jasper when she was a teenager with a major crush...

After a raging argument with her mom, Charlie has to get away. Jeremy and Bass are working in Venice, so she decides to fly there to meet up with them…

 **Author's note:**

Hi there and thanks so much for reading and joining me for the third part of this birthday story for Hayj, I posted the first two chapters of this on Ao3 first, and then my muse went AWOL for a while so there was a bit of a big gap there between chapters 2 and 3... anyway I thought I'd post all three chapters here at once :) Oh, I still don't own anything of Revolution, but I still wish I did...

' **What happens in Venice' part 3**

Charlie slowly became aware that she was awake and feeling very, very good with happy ripples still floating round her system from what they'd been doing earlier when she felt a finger gently stroke the skin of her shoulder and slide around the side of her breast, another two lightly circling her nipple. Her eyes flickered open, meeting a pair of softly glimmering crystalline blues above her... The eyes got closer and bluer and then she felt his lips, soft on hers in a long sweet kiss.

When the kiss ended, his breath was warm on her cheek and her whole body was buzzing…

She stretched, hearing his breath catch as he watched, the skin of her nipples and inner thighs deliciously tender from his lips, teeth and scruff. Her lips curved in a satisfied smile, her pussy feeling wet, swollen, little aftershocks still pulsing through her clit and belly… She rolled over towards him and felt her heart start to pound again, her own breath catch in her throat because the sparks between them had caught fire until they burned and burned...

He was lying on his side, big, bronzed, beautiful, his long legs reaching way past hers down the bed and his broad shoulders, ripped chest and tight six pack relaxed and edged in gold by the light from the window behind them. His lips curved in a smile that lit up his face. 'Hey you…'

She smiled back. 'Hey you too…' She looked around, she'd been too engrossed in him to notice before, but they were in his room and it was like hers only bigger, the bed king size, no posts, in tones of cream, bronze and terracotta with crimson splashes from big, Persian rugs on the polished wooden floor. Little stone and plaster cherubs played on the cornices of the ceiling and two pairs of French doors opened out onto a balcony overlooking the canale, their pale gauze curtains blowing in the breeze off the water… 'This is lovely'

He smiled again and shrugged sideways, which did very interesting things to the muscles of his chest and abdomen, 'Jer doesn't like heights so I got the room with a view…'

Charlie reached out with her free hand, trailing her fingers down over the smooth skin there, her fingertips catching in the light dusting of hair that spread between his nipples, her body remembering the touch of his, memories of what they'd just done igniting her senses. She saw him reacting too, his cock swelling proudly out of its nest of dark golden brown curls.

He caught her hand, lacing his fingers through hers and grinned… 'Speaking of Jeremy, he'll be back soon so we'd better think about getting ready… that's if you still want to come?'

She leaned back a little, her eyes dancing, 'wouldn't miss it, so what's the plan?'

He pulled her hand up to his mouth, kissing the fingers, then rolled her onto her back, settling between her legs, his cock knocking on her door and his lips on hers in a short, hard kiss, 'The fight's in Mestre, Charlie, over on the mainland. We'll get a land taxi from the Piazzale Roma at three, the program starts at five, my fight's at six and after that there's a dinner at one of the best restaurants in Venice.' He nudged her legs apart, 'but I figure we've just got time for one more…'

She grinned up at him, 'sounds like a really good plan.' Then she spread her legs wider to let him in, wrapping them round his hips, her feet sliding down his hard muscled, hair roughened thighs, gasping out a laugh as he surged inside, his arms sliding around her, lips closing in on hers and his body warm and big and delicious, and she forgot about everything, everything except him.

…..

'Damn…' Charlie was in her new scarlet silk VS lingerie undies and had every dress she'd brought with her spread out on her bed, trying to decide which one would take her out to a fight then dinner in Venice...

There was a knock on the door, 'Charlie, come on, we've got to be out the door in ten minutes...' Jeremy sounded a little stressed...

'Coming Jer', she stuck her tongue out at the door then picked up her favourite strapless cocktail LBD. It'd have to do. She really couldn't blame him though, she and Bass had used up practically every nano second of spare time and while she did feel a tiny bit guilty about it all happening before a fight, Bass hadn't seemed tired at all, in fact he'd been practically skipping when she'd finally left him so they could both get changed…

She slipped into the dress, sliding it down over her hips, enjoying the feel and swish of the silky fabric on sex sensitive skin then went to search for her black heels.

'Charlie…' his voice sounded really stressed now…

She chuckled, he was worse than Miles, neither one of them had an ounce of patience. She finally found the right shoe bag and turned to the door at the same time… 'Take a breath, Jer, I'm coming…' Twisting her arm to do up the zip of her dress she stepped into the shoes, checked her hair in the mirror, added some heavy turquoise and silver earrings, spritzed some of her favourite perfume and slicked on some lip gloss. She smiled at her reflection, looking good… then snatched up a turquoise silk kimono wrap and left.

….

Venice was crowded with people out and about again for the rest of the day's adventures and sandwiched between Bass and Jeremy, the two of them laughing, telling jokes and almost lifting her up and floating her along with their arms through hers, Charlie felt like a princess in the warm Venetian afternoon sunshine. They walked past the fairytale buildings, over little bridges and through narrow ancient alleyways, reflections from the water making the air flicker, colours kaleidoscope and the seabirds floating over their heads seem like magical creatures…

Jeremy leaned in close, his blue eyes twinkling, pointing at a huge ornate building, impossibly beautiful, like their palazzo only more so. 'Starbucks…'

Charlie made a face…'No way' but then she saw the familiar sign, discreetly placed so it didn't disturb the view of the façade.

Bass chuckled, steering them round a small boy and his mother who'd stopped suddenly to stare at a costumed parade passing by trailed by a retinue of amateur paparazzi, 'they do a pretty good macchiato, and they're open 24 hours'

She smiled, 'Frappachino and apple fritter at 3am, my favourite…' then as she looked around at the parade, she saw a few of the camera's and screens pointed at them too, along with excited faces, shouted questions and waving hands, 'Bass?'

He kept them moving, undisturbed, smiling politely, his hand in hers… 'Just smile, Charlie and keep walking.'

Jeremy smiled too but between the two of them her feet were barely touching the ground they were going so fast, and as they flew along he bent down to her ear again. 'We're nearly there, Chica, it's just around the next corner.'

But all Charlie could think about was that she was going to be just another blonde in a photo with Bass Monroe.

…

The taxi felt like a soft, plush cocoon after all the noise in the streets around the Piazzale as it purred through the narrow streets of the mainland, rock and roll songs in Italian playing softly on the radio… The buildings they were passing were a pastiche of beautiful ancient shabby chic and shiny new paint, with bricks and stone made to look old if they weren't old already while the people crowding around the shops and piazzas were a mix of tourists in sensible clothes and costumed partygoers, masked and brightly coloured, laughing, talking, eating ice-creams and taking endless photos on phones and tablets and the occasional actual camera...

It felt strange, unreal being in a car after being surrounded by water and boats in one of the most picturesque cities on the planet…

Charlie gazed out of the window, quietly watching the incredible city as it floated by. Bass was sitting next to her, leaning towards Jeremy in the front seat, the two of them chatting about the fights with the Italian driver in his fluent English, with Bass and Jeremy adding an occasional comment in their a lot less than fluent Italian, all three of them laughing and joking as they made their way through the busy traffic…

The reality of what she'd just done had hit home. Bass had told her he wasn't good at relationships and that he couldn't promise her anything and she'd said that that was ok… But it wasn't ok, it really wasn't. How she was going to go back to her ordinary life after this, after being with him? It had been so intense… Surely he wasn't like that with everyone? Or was she just fooling herself…

She needed to decide very soon whether to keep going and enjoy whatever she could of him, of this, or take what was left of her pride and go home before she got any deeper in…

Bass turned to her, his eyes dancing, his hand reaching for hers… 'Hey, you're very quiet?'

She squeezed his fingers, could see him getting psyched up, knew the feeling, the building tension, energy coiling, getting ready to fight, to win… She smiled, 'Just being a tourist I guess.'

He grinned and kissed her hand… 'The most beautiful tourist I've ever seen…'

Jeremy turned round, his eyes resting on her face for a moment, concern flickering in the blue and worry creasing his brow. Then he shook his head, let out a fast breath and grinned wide, turning to Bass, 'Hey Bass, the driver says this guy has a tell – he twitches his left hand before he kicks…'

Bass choked off a laugh, squeezing her hand then letting go and leaning forward over the seat again…'now why the hell would he tell us that unless he had money on it? How much did you bet, Jer?'

The driver laughed and said something in Italian, rubbing his fingers together, and then the three of them were off again…

Her phone pinged in her bag, and when she looked, Danny had sent her a message…

It was a photo of her and Bass hand in hand, with Jeremy in the background, the crowded Piazzale behind them. The camera had caught her looking at Bass, her eyes wide, her soul looking out…

'WTF?' was in large letters in the text box…

Almost immediately, there was another ping, Danny again…'Sis, heads up! Nora just sent text, Miles saw pics - on way 2 U next flight'

She stared at the text. That meant he'd be here in about twelve hours...

Shit…

….

AN: thanks so much for reading and sticking with me through the longest dry spell I've had since I started writing FF! I hope I'm over it now and that the next updates for all three of my unfinished stories will be much faster… I've got new chapters coming up for Wilder mind and A thousand islands too, so if you are still around, thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

**What happens in Venice' part 4**

A Revolution fic: Bass Monroe/Charlie Matheson, Jeremy Baker. Charloe; No Blackout AU.

Sebastian Monroe has a well-earned reputation as a stunt man, fighter and womanizer and his Agent and friend, Jeremy Baker is used to smoothing the way, dealing with hotel suites, publicity, twitter accounts, restaurant bookings and jealous boyfriends, as well as organising his MMA bouts, video shoots and generally doing everything but brush his teeth…

Charlie Matheson has known Jeremy for years. A long time friend of her family, he's been a shoulder to cry on, a strong arm when she needed a sparring partner and always there for her to talk to when her family were busy with other things - which was most of the time. She also knows Bass, although she hasn't seen him up close since he left Jasper when she was a teenager with a major crush...

After a raging argument with her mom, Charlie has to get away. Jeremy and Bass are working in Venice, so she decides to fly there to meet up with them…

 **Author's note:**

Hi there and thanks so much for reading and joining me for the fourth part of this birthday story for Hayj – sorry it's taken so long Hay, and as an apology this is kind of like three chapters in one! And I'd like to send a big thank you shout out to LoveForTheStory – for helping me beat this chapter into submission with some wonderful advice and insight, thanks so much Love… Oh, I still don't own anything of Revolution, but I still wish I did!

' **What happens in Venice' part 4**

It was after four by the time they got to the venue and on the way over while Bass, Jeremy and the driver talked about fights and betting, Charlie had decided to make the most of the next few hours with Bass until Miles arrived to breathe fire at him and probably Jeremy too, the overprotective moron. He knew that she'd been in love with Bass since forever and she'd really hoped his attitude to that had improved since meeting Nora who was the first woman Miles had shown any lasting interest in since his fiancé broke things off and moved to Mexico all those years ago. At least that was what her dad said anyway. And Nora just happened to be a whole lot younger than Miles.

Charlie was totally prepared to fight dirty and remind him of that little fact if she had to.

She wasn't going to say anything about him coming to Venice until after the fight though and it didn't sound as though Danny, Nora or Miles had said anything to the rest of her family either, yet – not that she expected her mom or dad would pay much attention anyway if they did although she'd been half expecting one of her dad's stock standard email lectures on keeping her stupid to a minimum. And as her mom already considered that Charlie had turned to the dark side just because she'd joined the Revolution Preppers, she didn't think that her hooking up with Bass Monroe would put any grey hairs on that perfectly groomed head…

She was startled out of her reverie when their driver somehow found somewhere to pull over and stopped the car in a quiet area up the street a little way from the theatre. They'd driven past the huge, ornate iron gates set into a high stone wall, past the crowds of excited people milling behind rope barriers and a steady stream of well dressed people going towards the gates. She'd seen Tv crews scattered everywhere around the gates too with reporters talking to their camera crews with little groups involved in interviews dotted along the route. The babble and hum of voices and traffic had been amazingly loud even inside the cab…

Here it was quiet though, tall trees bending over more high stonewalls and shading the pavement…

Jeremy was paying the driver, the two of them chatting and laughing like old friends in a comfortable, garbled mix of Italian and English…

She smiled. Jeremy had always had a way with people, which was what made him so good at his job really… She turned to Bass, excited now…

He grinned, leaned over, pressed a hard, warm kiss to her lips then jumped out, swept round to her side of the car and opened the door for her looking vibrant, powerful and almost impossibly gorgeous in his black leather duster, white silk shirt and tailored black pants. He smiled at her, eyes gleaming a shimmering, wicked blue, a hand stretched out to her… 'Coming?'

Charlie felt excitement bubble inside her veins like a kind of champagne as she held out her own hand and he took it, pulling her up and gathering her into his arms, the scent of expensive leather and that wonderful shower gel surrounding her, his body hard, hot against hers and his lips close to her ear…

'When I left you were a tomboy teenager, Charlie' he dropped a kiss beside her mouth, then pulled back a little so he could see her face, 'and then you turn up as a beautiful woman…' He smiled down at her, 'and I'm so glad you did…'

She gazed up into those blue eyes, her hand stroking the soft, smooth leather over his shoulder, her fingers loving the feel of it, 'I'm glad I did too Bass, believe me...' her lips twitched, her teeth catching her bottom lip and her eyes dancing, 'and I don't know if you noticed back then, but that tomboy teenager totally thought the sun shone out of your ass.'

He chuckled and his eyes softened, 'Yeah…I noticed,' he play frowned at her, 'and I seem to remember you trying very hard to catch me under the mistletoe at your parents Christmas party…'

She smiled, memories of a kind, tolerant but annoyingly elusive Bass floating through her mind, then the smile faded, that had been the Christmas before the accident, before everything changed for him, for them too… Then she took a deep breath, wanting to say something else, something more serious, because there wasn't much time now and she didn't know when or if she'd get another chance. Besides, she'd seen the photos in his room at the Palazzo, photos of his parents, his sisters, still with him after all this time...

So she slid her hand up to his cheek, over the soft scruff, her eyes holding his, gently, hoping he wouldn't turn and walk away but willing to take the chance because even if he left her now, if nothing else happened between them, he'd still know that people cared about him, that she cared about him, about the real, human Bass Monroe. Her other hand went to his heart, feeling the strong, regular beat under her fingers and she took a deep breath… 'We've been looking after them for you Bass, we take them flowers, tell them about all the amazing things you're doing, that they'd be proud of you and that maybe someday you'll be ready to go back and tell them yourself.' There, she'd said it and now he knew...

He went very, very still and for a moment she thought she'd said too much, gone too far, and then the blue eyes filled with tears that welled up and spilled out over his long, gold tipped lashes in shining drops and it was as though all the air left his body in one long, long breath... Then his arms went around her and he pulled her into a tight, tight hug, his cheek close to hers, breathing her in, his voice a hoarse whisper…'Charlie...'

She hugged him back, her heart full for him, because even though she had her differences with her family, especially her mom, the thought of losing them the way he had lost his made her just curl up and die inside. 'You know we understand why it's hard for you to come back, don't you…'

His eyes met hers in a blaze of emotions that shook her to her soul and then he was kissing her, a desperate, hard, hungry kiss that went on and on, his arms around her like steel bands, his heart beating against hers until all she could hear was the rhythm of their blood, all she could feel was his body against hers, his lips on hers, his scruff soft on her skin…

She was vaguely aware of the taxi driving away and the sounds of a group of people walking by, voices and footsteps getting louder, excited, happy then getting softer again as the walkers moved past them, but she really, really didn't care…

Then someone cleared his throat loudly, close by, 'Er…Guys? I'm sorry to butt in, but maybe we should get going?' Jeremy's voice was very dry but a laugh was bubbling somewhere underneath too, 'because anytime now, one of those news crews down by the theatre is going to notice that Sebastian Monroe and a mysterious blonde are making out like bunnies just up the road,'

Bass jerked, choked off a kind of laugh against her lips, then pulled back, his arms loosening up a little, but his glittering, laser bright eyes were promising more, soon. 'You're right, Jer, but damn, you make me forget about everything else, Charlie…'

She staggered a little, dazed by him, by the kiss, by relief, by the events of the day, by everything all at once and he caught her, his arms strong around her, not letting her fall...

He held her against him, pressing a kiss onto the top of her head, 'Hey… take it easy, are you ok?'

She nodded, taking a deep breath and feeling better, slanting a laughing glance up at him, 'Yeah, well it has been kind of a busy day…'

'So whose fault's that?' Jeremy fell in on her other side as they started walking, frowning as he checked out the crowds ahead of them, their attention currently centred on a couple of local celebrities busy answering a flurry of excited questions in assorted languages, posing with fans for photos at the same time…

She turned to him, stretching a hand out to him but keeping one arm around Bass, her eyes wicked now, 'totally worth it, Jer'

Jeremy shook his head, tucking her hand under his arm 'I really don't need to hear that...' although his lips were twitching and he looked pleased for some reason, 'I mean it, Charlie, not another word, I might need plausible deniability someday,'

Bass slipped his hand from her waist to take her other arm, chuckling, 'It's way too late for that, Jer, and no one will believe you anyway, now smile for the nice lady over there in the purple pullover and matching Ipad and the little guy with the hair and the Nikon in the middle of the road…'

Charlie swung along between them, feeling absolutely fine now and totally enjoying being flanked by two tall, hunky, beautiful men as they followed the other guests, winding their way past people posing for more photos, signing cards, tickets, t-shirts, others intent on getting inside…

As they got closer, Charlie could see what looked like yet another Palazzo set back from the road behind the gates, security guards stationed inside checking id, tickets and invitations, the barriers keeping the crowd of onlookers and fans back away from the entrance.

Jeremy had a word with one of the guards who waved them on inside with a nod of respect for Bass and an admiring smile for Charlie and they found themselves on a flag stoned path lined with red carpet that led to a wide fan of shallow stone steps rising up to an arched and pillared entrance, the eyes of caryatids, gods, nymphs and flocks of pigeons looking down from their perches on the walls to where yet more people were milling around, laughing and talking in what sounded like every language she'd ever heard of…

Bass kept tight hold of Charlie's hand as he high fived, shook hands, laughed, hugged and kissed his way through what felt like an endless river of people inside – many of them staring at her after they looked at him, their eyes sometimes friendly, curious, admiring, sometimes avid, jealous… She lost count of the photographs she smiled for, the questions that Bass answered politely but without actually giving her name, but figured it didn't matter anyway. She didn't care who saw her with him now.

She looked around, blissing out on everything, her smile getting wider.

Like everything else in Venice, the building was beautiful and it was fascinating hearing all the different languages, although there was a lot more English than she'd expected. Some of the people they met she recognised, including a few of the cast and crew from the movie Bass was working on, and they were friendly, interested, obviously happy to see him. She watched him smile and greet everyone who came up to him with a genuine warmth and interest that put them at ease, made them happy to be there.

People liked him, admired him. She felt her heart swell and a laugh bubble up from deep inside, amazed that this was all really happening.

She squeezed his hand and he glanced down at her, smiling, his eyes catching and holding hers for a moment that seemed to go on forever…

There was a burst of laughter from her other side and she turned to look. Jeremy had his share of admirers too, and she wasn't surprised, he looked spectacular in smooth, luxurious black. Tall and muscular, his shoulders broad, his blond hair, cool blue eyes and ironic smile making him look mysterious, exotic… He smiled and nodded at everyone but kept close, protective, as the three of them made their way through the crowd.

Charlie felt light and tall on her heels, the strong arms of the men on either side of her almost floating her above the ground. She turned a laughing face up to each of them, getting a wink from Jeremy and a long, hot blue stare from Bass, and just like that she was caught again...

His eyes dropped to her mouth, tongue snaking out over his bottom lip and his hand tightening on hers, thumb circling her palm, slowly, languorously, as though he were touching something else, playing with something else…

She gasped as a bolt of sensation raced from her lips straight to her clit, her pussy feeling wet, heavy, because she just knew he was tasting her, remembering what they'd been doing before, thinking exactly what she was thinking…

He laughed…

Shit, she so wanted to drag him somewhere out of sight so they could do bad, bad things to each other, right now…

Jeremy cleared his throat, again, loudly, 'Could you two please cut it out? You can go do whatever you like after Bass wins this fight,' he frowned at both of them, although his eyes were twinkling, 'but not before, ok?'

Bass laughed again, low and sexy as hell, but his thumb started behaving itself…

Charlie turned back to Jeremy, a little suspicious, 'why are you so chirpy? You were all worried face before…'

He shrugged, a little, smug smile curving his lips, and an eyebrow twitching…

She narrowed her eyes giving him her best I'm going to kick your ass look…

Jeremy's smile became a chuckle, and he pulled them along faster, 'come on Charlie, we'll see you to your seat' then he looked over at Bass, 'and you have to go get ready and warm up' he shrugged, 'or cool down maybe, whatever. But you need to do it soon.'

He led them further inside the lobby, past tromp L'oeil murals, gold and red velvet chairs and couches and people streaming through arched doorways to find their seats in the auditorium…

'Hey, Bass' the voice came from behind them.

Bass muttered something under his breath and his smile became just a little strained as he turned towards the speaker. 'Jason, what brings you to Venice?'

Charlie turned too, finding herself looking up at a very tall, very good looking, dark haired, coffee skinned guy in his mid twenties maybe? Wide, muscled shoulders and long, long legs looked really good in a nicely cut suit. She nodded to him as Bass introduced her. So this was Jason Neville? She'd heard he was a good fighter, and heading towards the top rankings, not as high as Bass of course, but Jason was supposed to be very ambitious. Or was it his father who was the ambitious one? She glanced back up at Bass. There was impatience on his face, but a kind of tolerance too…

The younger man shrugged, nodded at Jeremy then looked Charlie up and down, an eyebrow lifting and appreciation in his eyes before looking straight at Bass, 'just keeping an eye on the competition.' He grinned although it wasn't quite as confident as he obviously wanted it to be, 'this Venetian guy is supposed to be really good. Maybe I'll be fighting him in Chicago next month instead of you?'

Bass grinned back, his teeth very white, his eyes calm and very amused... **'** That's a nice dream, Jason, hang on to it' he looked around, 'So where's your dad? You two usually hang out together…'

Jason flushed a deep red, his dark eyes scanning the room although he didn't really seem aware that he was doing it. Then he caught himself, taking a deep breath, 'he's probably still out in the green room, catching up with some of the other trainers…' He turned to Charlie, tipping his head towards Bass, 'you know you could do a whole lot better than him, don't you? He's not one to stick around long, not from what I've heard anyway, ships in the night and all that…' he winked at her, 'and I'm available.'

Bass just looked at him, his eyes cool, measuring, most of the amusement gone. 'I know you're trying to make a point but don't push it, Jason. You don't know me or Charlie and if you say anything like that again, we're going to have a problem.'

Charlie felt him shift into a relaxed ready stance next to her, and her own body responded by doing the same. She was so tempted to show Jason Neville some of the new moves she'd been working on – the ones she'd learned from Bass' training vids. She hated the way some men assumed women, especially pretty women, were just… hangers on...

He was still staring back at Bass, challenge building in the dark eyes, rising tension making the air between them tight, like wires...

Jeremy broke the spell, moving smoothly between the two other men. 'Yeah, you should be more careful, sonny, and not just around Bass, Charlie's been fighting in comps since she was six years old, she can look after herself.'

Jason blinked, then turned and looked at her with new interest and a totally different attitude. It was as though she'd somehow become a different person. 'Really? Any particular style?'

She smiled at him. Sweet and nice, like the bimbo he'd implied she was although she was actually aching to put one of her spiked heels into the middle of the six pack she knew had to be under that shirt... She amped the smile up another notch, 'Yeah, actually I've been learning from Bass, well his vids anyway.' The hand holding hers tightened and she could feel a rumble as Bass started to laugh. Her smile turned into a smirk, 'in fact he's been giving me some private instruction while I'm here'.

There was a smothered snort from Jeremy…

She slanted a challenge up at Bass.

He was already looking at her, and kept looking, his eyes hot and so bright she felt them burn down to her toes. 'That's right,' he glanced over at Jason, then back to Charlie, wicked enjoyment glinting in the blue, 'and she's coming on very well. She's flexible, athletic and beautifully responsive, and I'm really looking forward to pushing her a whole lot harder in her next lesson…' His lips were curved in a little smile and his eyes were so full of dark, exciting promises that her knees went weak and she lost her breath as her clit pulsed and her nipples and belly tightened in shivers and ripples of need and desperate anticipation.

She couldn't stop the little gasp as her lungs suddenly remembered that she needed to breath. Shit, she so wished this fucking fight was over and they could get back to the Palazzo, or somewhere else, anywhere else really. Right now she'd take a broom cupboard as long as he was in it...

Jason was looking from Charlie to Bass, amused speculation in his eyes now. 'I can see that, and I'm sorry about what I said before…' then he looked at his watch, 'but you'd better get going unless you want this guy to win by default' he shrugged, 'although then you wouldn't have to try to beat me next month and you could spend more time, you know, instructing Charlie?'

Bass chuckled, 'tempting, but I think I can manage both…' He checked his own watch. 'Shit…' He bent to kiss Charlie, 'I do have to go…' he frowned, 'and Jeremy has to come too, he's my second.'

Jason held an arm out to Charlie, crooked at the elbow. He was obviously trying to be charming this time… 'I was rude and out of line before, Charlie, and I'm sorry, ' He bent so he was on eye level with her, the brown eyes unexpected, strange, 'If you can forgive me, I'd be happy to take you inside?'

She considered for a couple of seconds... The handsome face radiated sincerity, at least for now and what the hell, it would be good to have someone to talk to and he was nice to look at too, in fact if it wasn't for Bass she might even have been interested… 'Ok, but no more cracks about Bass - or me or I'll have to do the five point punch on you.'

He nodded, his smile wide, teeth very white, 'I promise…' He looked at Jeremy then back to Bass, 'Go on get out of here you two. I'll take good care of her for you,' he grinned 'and make sure you win, Monroe, I'd rather fight you than him, I know your moves already.'

…..

Jason was the perfect escort. He made sure she wasn't hassled by anyone, moving them smoothly and efficiently through the crowds of increasingly excited people into the main auditorium, a big, modern space except for the domed ceiling that rose high above them like a renaissance dream. He found them some good seats at the end of a row close to the front in the VIP section, got one of the waiters to bring them champagne, canapés and programs, and made her laugh with stories about the MMA scene – although he kept his promise and didn't mention Bass.

There were the usual pre-fight entertainments, but with a Venetian flavour. Gorgeous men and women in exotic masks strutted around the big ring, carrying banners with pictures of the fighters and advertisements for the same beers, wines and betting apps that rolled in continuous motion across the huge tv screens hung above the ring and in bright laser patterns across the domed ceiling. Gypsy musicians in bright flowing costumes strolled around the audience seats, the lilting sound of violins and guitars making Charlie feel like dancing… Ice cream and confectionary vendors in harlequin suits strolled between the rows of seats and the big room was full of the flash of phones and tablet screens as people placed bets and took yet more photos and vids.

There were two bouts before Bass, and she and Jason critiqued their way through each one, which was a whole lot of fun. She found herself liking him more and more. He was funny, knew what he was talking about, didn't try to hit on her, not seriously anyway, and had an easy, relaxed way of talking about things. At least he did until his dad arrived just before Bass' fight was due to start.

Jason was telling her about a comp back in Phoenix when his voice faded away to nothing and his eyes went curiously blank as he focused on someone walking towards them.

Charlie looked and found a stocky, dark skinned, hard eyed man staring at her as he closed in on them, his full lips twisted in a bright, totally fake smile. She didn't usually dislike people at first sight, but there was something about this man that was strangely repellent and she really didn't know why, but it seemed that the feeling was mutual…

'Jason, I've been looking everywhere for you' the overly hearty voice was disconcertingly rich, mellow, beautiful really… a good voice for radio, but Charlie didn't like the tone of it, the way he made the words sound as he spoke to his son – as though Jason should have been waiting where he was told to be, following orders...

'Dad…' Jason was obviously embarrassed, his body tense in his seat, pulling away from her a little as though he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't.

Her hackles went up and she felt a wave of protectiveness roll over her, he didn't deserve to be treated like that, no one deserved to be treated like that.

Tom Neville stood in front of them, his whole body blaring disapproval, although the smile was still there, looking painted on. 'So who's the lovely young lady, son?'

Charlie took out her sweet smile again, no harm in trying, 'I'm Charlie, Charlie Matheson, Jason's been very kind… '

'Pleased to meet you, Miss Matheson,' his eyes slid like oil from Charlie to Jason then back to her, 'you must be pretty special, my son usually avoids casual encounters, especially when he's supposed to be in training…'

She stared at him, stunned, the smile frozen. He couldn't really have said that. Could he?

Beside her Jason leaned forward, scowling, his mouth open to say something… but just then the stage lights and trumpets blared a fanfare for the next fight and the announcer came into the ring to start things off…

Tom Neville tightened his smile a little and nodded to her, ignoring Jason, before walking down to take a seat a couple of rows along.

Charlie was so totally furious she almost missed the announcement of the fight, but then she saw Bass come into the ring, and forgot about everything and everyone else.

He stalked from one corner to the next, his eyes searching the crowd, rolling his shoulders and neck to loosen them up and showing off for the audience, cameras flashing like stars. In black fight pants and bare feet, his naked, golden torso gleaming with oil and sweat under the lights and each muscle defined he looked powerful, dangerous and totally fucking amazing. She leaned forward in her seat, they were a little higher than the ring and she could see everything, her eyes following him every step of the way, a smile on her face that just kept getting wider.

Then he finally saw her and his head dipped just a little in a salute, his eyes staying with her too as he prowled. Hunger, desire and much, much more than that in the blue depths.

Jason watched, kind of amazed because it really looked like the unattainable Sebastian Monroe had fallen for someone at last and fallen hard by the looks of it. Not that he blamed him. He'd only just met her and he could see that Charlie was something special. He glanced at her glad to see she had the same look in her eyes, because he didn't think Bass would take heartbreak too well.

The Venetian, Marco something, Charlie didn't catch his last name but figured she could look it up later, came into the ring and she tore her eyes away from Bass to have a look. He was a big man, a little taller than Bass and strong, with curly dark hair, smooth olive skin and thick, heavily muscled and inked arms and shoulders. His teeth were bright as he strode smiling around the ring his arms high in a salute to the crowd, laughing and bowing as the shouts and applause became ecstatic, filling the room. The flashes of cameras so many and so bright it was like a field of fireworks going off all at once.

Bass shook his head, looking a little bemused and grinned at her, looking totally unworried.

Then the bell went off for the start of the match and everything went quiet, the crowd avid and the air electric…

Charlie swallowed, her throat dry, anticipation making her breath shallow, her heart pound and goose bumps prickle along her arms.

They were like day and night in there, one golden man, one dark, circling around each other slowly, testing, assessing each other, the lights making their bodies gleam, skin smooth and rippling over toned and bulging muscle, the tight black pants hugging the sleek, male curves of thigh, ass and crotch, bare feet gripping, sliding over the mat.

Then there was a lightening fast exchange of leaping turns, kicks, punches and feints that had everyone in the crowd gasping, rising to their feet, applauding and shouting encouragement.

Both men were breathing a little harder, sweat beads shining on forehead and throat as they fell back to circling each other. Bass had a small cut above his left eye and as she looked harder, the Venetian seemed to be favouring his right shoulder.

The fight went on, a swirling, leaping, beautiful dance of intent and menace, neither of them showing signs of giving in or even slowing down… Charlie was mesmerised. The Venetian was good, Bass had been right about that, but Bass was better, he'd been right about that too… she could see that he was holding back, making it last – she glanced sideways at Jason.

He grinned, admiration gleaming in the dark eyes, his voice a gleeful whisper, 'he's playing the guy like a fish, Charlie.'

But just then the Venetian moved, sliding his body around Bass, twining around and behind him like a lover, body pressed hard against his back, an arm around his neck holding him in place, a leg hooked round between his, trying to pull him off balance and to the ground with sheer size and strength.

Charlie gasped. She could see the strain on Bass' face as he struggled for breath, his arms and legs straining against the other man's as he tried to get leverage.

Jason leaned forward, his hands tense on the rail in front of them, his eyes glued to what was happening…

The only sounds were the rustle of feet on the mat, the grunts and gasps of the men as they struggled, the slap and sliding rasp of flesh against flesh.

Everyone in the audience seemed to be holding their breath…

Then somehow, his eyes found hers again and she saw the moment everything changed. Felt it in the spark and heat that lit his eyes and fired them up like exploding blue stars, knew it as he grinned at her.

Then he acted, his foot somehow slipping around the other man's, shifting the weight, changing the balance and his arms swung up and around, his body twisting free in a move that had everyone gasping and yelling and then he was suddenly, unbelievably in the air, his body arched like a bow aiming down, his fist and forearm coming down with all his weight behind it.

The Venetian collapsed onto the mat without a sound, limp and boneless.

Bass landed back on his feet like a cat, and stalked from one side of the ring to the other, watching, waiting. But the other man didn't get up.

Then the whole auditorium erupted into a deafening round of screams and cheers, applause and pounding feet as Bass pumped his fist into the air…

It was over. He'd won.

Charlie was on her feet, like everyone else, her hands clapping so hard her palms stung, her throat raw from yelling his name… Wishing like crazy that she'd had her phone out to get a shot of that move to show Miles and Nora, because she didn't have a fucking clue how he'd done it…

Jason nudged her with his elbow.

She turned, still clapping, 'what?'

He was holding his phone up, a huge smile on his face, 'I got that, I can't believe it, I got the whole thing…

Her grin spread wide across her face, and she threw her arms around him in a hug of absolutely sincere and enthusiastic gratitude, a kiss landing somewhere to the left of his mouth, 'can I have a copy? I forgot to get my phone out.'

His arms went round her almost automatically, his laugh tickling her ear as he tried to keep them both upright, 'don't worry, I'll share…' Then he suddenly went very still… 'Aah…Charlie?'

She leaned back, untangling herself, 'Yeah?'

He held her shoulders and turned round her to look.

Bass was striding through the aisles towards them, ignoring the people slapping his back, calling his name, applauding, taking shots, his eyes were furious, fierce, fixed on her – and Jason…

Charlie swallowed… Shit… he couldn't think she and Jason were… could he? She grabbed her wrap, slung her bag over her shoulder and stepped out to meet him, 'Bass?'

He didn't say a word, just pulled her into a fast, hard, bruising, proprietary kiss, then picked her up in his arms while she was still breathless, like she weighed nothing at all, his body hot, slick with sweat against hers.

Charlie felt her eyes go wide with shock as he carried her somewhere, she didn't know where, didn't care either, a fiery, burning excitement pounding through her blood, her belly, through her whole body that she had never felt before in her life. Ever. Moisture surged between her legs, her nipples pebbled and her pussy and clit throbbed a song of want and need, pulsing at the thought of what he was going to do with her.

And if the shouts and applause had been loud before it was nothing compared to what was happening now, the sound was deafening, thunderous. She felt dazzled, overwhelmed by the flash of lights around them, the laughing, delighted faces, people running after them, around them, reporters thrusting microphones in their faces, questions in English, Italian, French fluttering over her head like nonsense poems...

Bass ignored everything and everyone, his eyes looking straight ahead although there was a tight smile on his face, she could see it from where she was draped over his arms.

Then somehow, they were somewhere quiet, dark, and away from people except for a couple of startled guys in towels and dressing gowns coming out of a steam filled room. They recovered quickly though, laughing, blowing kisses and calling out in Italian as Bass carried her past.

She shrugged and smiled back. Fighting and fucking kind of went together, maybe this happened a lot?

Then she was caught again by blue whirlpools, tugged under and held panting for breath by the intensity of it, his eyes full of those promises.

She swung her arms round his neck and hung on, balanced over his knee as he bent to open a door, and then they were inside what had to be his dressing room and she heard a click as the door locked behind them.

'You kissed him' his voice was hoarse as he lowered her down onto a soft, black leather couch in the back corner of the room, kneeling on the floor next to it, his hands roaming over her legs, stripping her of her shoes, then taking her bag, her wrap, placing everything on the floor.

She lifted a hand, running her fingers through the sweat darkened curls and the wet scruff, lifting her ass so he could reach her panties… 'I was just thanking him – he took some video of that last jump.' She gasped as his fingers brushed her clit on the way down, the silky fabric damp on her inner thighs… 'I forgot to get my phone out.'

He lifted her skirt, carefully arranging the silky folds around her waist, her long, strong legs and cleft looking like the pale stems of a black flower against the dress and the dark leather. Then he stood up, stripping his pants down over his hips, his breath catching as the tight, elastic fabric caught on the heavy, erect head of his cock and tangled in the curls below, 'shit…'

Charlie laughed a little because it was funny, but it was taking him too damn long to get naked. She lifted a leg, trailing a hand down to play with her pussy, her fingers slipping between her juicy pussy lips, her clit and core so wet her whole hand was shining with it, her fingers sliding over her swollen flesh without any resistance, 'can I help?' she offered the damp hand.

His nostrils flared as he scented her, and he dragged in a sharp breath, his hands moving frantically to get the stupid fucking pants off. Then somehow the material gave way and he stripped them off, flinging them into a corner, panting, his hard, heavy cock swaying and a little bubble of precum glistening on the shiny, domed head.

He knelt down again beside the couch, his chest wide, skin gleaming, one hand stroking her legs, the other playing with her hair, her shoulders, his palms skimming over the fabric still covering her breasts, her nipples getting harder, tighter under it. His eyes travelled up and down too, leaving trails of fire behind them. 'I saw you with him and I couldn't see anything else.'

She shivered, he smelled of male, of sex… His cock was pressed against the side of the couch and his hips were moving gently in and out, his ass cheeks clenching, relaxing and his cock rising and falling as he moved, she watched it, her mouth dry with wanting him... 'Don't worry, he's sweet, but he's not you,.'

The hand on her legs reached her pussy, his fingertips catching the soft flesh of her pussy lips and the wet folds between, teasing her, dipping in, spreading her wetness down, between her ass cheeks... He swallowed, his eyes fierce again… 'I needed to show him and fucking everyone else that you're mine, Charlie,'

She laughed, although she was panting with need, her body shuddering with it, 'Bass, please? I'm yours and I really need you to fuck me.'

He smiled, leaning over to her pussy, taking a long breath in, his eyes closed, 'you smell like heaven', then he reached up, holding her knee against the back of the couch while he bent and licked her from core to clit, his tongue sliding between her pussy lips, circling around her clit like a magical finger.

Her whole body jerked towards him in helpless spasms as she came apart in waves and ripples under his mouth, his satisfied laughter vibrating her clit.

Then he slid onto the couch, taking her knee over his shoulder until he was kneeling in front of her, his cock so close to her pussy she could feel the heat of him on her flesh. He licked his lips, tasting her, smiling down, his eyes glittering, 'you taste like heaven too.'

She sucked in a breath, knowing her eyes were wild, her lips swollen, her face flushed and she was thanking whatever gods had been with her when she decided to come to Venice, because this was something she might never have had if she hadn't done that.

He kept looking at her, his face full of intent, totally focused on her. Then he reached down between his legs, pushing his cock down towards her centre, sweeping the head through her folds.

Charlie lifted her head so she could see…her tongue flicking out to wet her lips as she watched the thick shaft slide inside her, the thickness stretching her out, her belly rising a little as he got all the way inside. She flexed her inner muscles, caressing him, squeezing him, the fullness a welcome invader, her clit pulsing still, aftershocks rippling through her, and him too.

His eyes were hazy now, his breath shallow and fast, 'and fuck, you feel like heaven…'

Charlie gasped out a laugh, wrapping her other leg around him, pulling him closer, 'It's pretty heavenly on this side too…'

And then words vanished as he pulled out and plunged back in, again and again, everything disappearing except the feeling of him fucking her, filling her, the leather cool against heated, damp skin, the sounds of flesh coming together echoing through the room, gasps and moans muffled in kisses that grew faster, more frantic, deeper as they got closer to what really did feel like heaven, or the next best thing anyway…

….

The room had a shower, and once they could move again they made good use of it - after Bass sent Jeremy a text letting him know they were ok and that he wouldn't need to post bail…

….

Charlie was getting dressed again, glad she'd chosen her most uncrushable favourite dress, although after what had happened in the auditorium, no one would believe she hadn't been thoroughly fucked anyway. Even if her dress looked ok, one look at her face and there'd be no hiding it, her eyes had that 'thoroughly fucked' glow…

Then she had a thought, 'I guess that'll be on a lot of newsfeeds won't it,'

Bass was doing up his shirt buttons, and looked across at her, an eyebrow lifting just a little, 'it's par for the course I'm afraid, Charlie.' He reached for his duster, 'it might not get to the US for a little while though, you've got time to let your folks know,'

She chewed her bottom lip, 'it's not that exactly, I don't think my folks will turn a hair and I know Danny's fine with it.'

He looked a question, 'so what is it, exactly?'

'It's Miles. I don't think he's so fine with it. Danny said he saw the photos of us and got the next plane out. He'll be here by morning.'

For the first time since she'd been with him in Venice, he seemed lost for words...

…..

AN: Hi and thanks so much for sticking with me and for reading. This chapter seemed to take ages to write and grew like Topsy, I couldn't work out where to split it though... Anyway, next chapter, Miles arrives, and fun will ensue… so hope to see you there, cheers, Magpie


	5. Chapter 5

**What happens in Venice - part 5**

A Revolution fic: Bass Monroe/Charlie Matheson, Jeremy Baker. Charloe; No Blackout AU.

Sebastian Monroe has a well-earned reputation as a stunt man, fighter and womanizer and his Agent and friend, Jeremy Baker is used to smoothing the way, dealing with hotel suites, publicity, twitter accounts, restaurant bookings and jealous boyfriends, as well as organising his MMA bouts, video shoots and generally doing everything but brush his teeth…

Charlie Matheson has known Jeremy for years. A long time friend of her family, he's been a shoulder to cry on, a strong arm when she needed a sparring partner and always there for her to talk to when her family were busy with other things - which was most of the time. She also knows Bass, although she hasn't seen him up close since he left Jasper when she was a teenager with a major crush...

After a raging argument with her mom, Charlie has to get away. Jeremy and Bass are working in Venice, so she decides to fly there to meet up with them…

 **Author's note:**

Hi there and thanks so much for reading and joining me for the fifth and almost final part of this birthday story for Hayj – it was going to be the final chapter but I got a bit carried away so there'll be another one lol, Oh, I still don't own anything of Revolution, but I still wish I did! Hope you enjoy, Magpie

' **What happens in Venice - part 5**

Miles was coming. It had a ring to it, a slightly ominous but kind of interesting ring. Miles mad enough to bust bones was something to see though, and it was kind of sweet that he thought she needed protecting – although it would have been nice if he'd asked her first…

Bass shrugged into his duster, his eyes on her, a bruise starting over his temple from where the Venetian had caught him during the fight. 'So how is the moron anyway?'

Charlie shrugged back, smoothing her dress down over her hips and slipping into her shoes, her hair swinging loose and shining over her bare shoulders, the dark blond strands still wet but drying fast in the warm air, 'Better… Since he's been with Nora she's got him training again, and he's not drinking as much…'

'That's gr…'

There was a pounding noise on the door, 'I know you're fucking in there you two. Shit… I mean I know you're in there, both of you.' Jeremy sounded just a tiny bit agitated. 'Hurry up already, ok? We've gotta get out of here. The whole place's going shit crazy in thirty different languages after that stunt you just pulled.'

Charlie strolled over to the door, her bag and wrap in hand and feeling damn, spanking good although her knees were still trembling…

Bass was right behind her, fixing the zip at the back of her dress as they went, his lips finding her shoulder, the soft hair of his beard tickling her skin.

She laughed, reaching back to run her hand along his thigh, brushing lightly over the length of his lovely cock, his flesh warm, so alive and springy under her fingers and just one thin bit of fabric and a zip away. Damn...

The pounding got louder and so did Jeremy, 'Guys, come on, I'm begging…'

…

Charlie sipped her Frappachino then took a big bite of her apple fritter, a look of utter bliss on her face as she chewed and swallowed, the arches and columns on the facade of the old building outside the windows framing her like a painting...

Bass watched from across the table, amused. 'You know that has absolutely no nutritional value, don't you?' He picked up his own, unsweetened long black, taking a sip himself. He was in his shirtsleeves, his duster slung over the back of his chair.

She shrugged, grinning and licking her lips. 'Don't care…'

'If you two hadn't got all carried away we could have been eating some real Italian food instead of hiding out in here.' Jeremy still looked pissed. The fingers of one hand tapping on the table, his tall body slumped against the back wall of their cubicle. He'd taken his jacket off too. It was a lovely, balmy evening…

She grinned. 'Don't worry. There's always tomorrow.'

He quirked an eyebrow and huffed, 'Miles gets here tomorrow,' He leaned towards her, frowning, 'and it's lucky we aren't needed on set for a few days, because I have no fucking idea what's going to happen then.'

Bass chuckled, 'I do…'

Charlie licked a speck of sugar from her lips, 'nothing's going to happen. Miles doesn't use Twitter or facebook so he won't see any of that stuff unless someone shows him...' She took another bite, talking as she chewed, 'Jason and Danny say the photos and vids don't look anything like me anyway.' She checked the phone on the table in front of her, 'and all anyone's tweeting about is Bass going all cave man after winning that fight.' She brushed her hands together, 'by the time he gets here it'll all be old news and all he'll have to deal with is me and Bass having a thing.'

Two sets of blue eyes focused on her, Bass laughing, Jeremy incredulous…

He puffed out a breath, 'That's all? Charlie, Miles is not just going to deal with it. You two are on every fucking tv channel from here to the Antarctic and the vids have gone viral. People are either calling this joker a romantic hero or a fucking Neanderthal…' He turned to Bass, 'and by the way, Heather from Casting is one of the romantics, she was actually crying when she called me after the fight, said it was the sexiest thing she'd seen this week...' He brightened up for a moment, 'Oh, and they're giving you a speaking part in the film.'

Bass shrugged, grinning, 'Heather cries when she pats puppies. What's the part?'

Jeremy rolled his eyes, 'I'll tell you later, but wear a mouthguard when Miles gets here, ok? I don't know any good dentists in Venice…' He leaned over the table towards Charlie, fingers tapping on the laminate. 'Miles had more to do with bringing you up than your actual dad did, Charlie, he loves you – and he knows Bass really fucking well. They grew up together for craps sake. He won't need to see your face to know it was you Bass was carrying off after the fight, not after he saw the photos of you two holding hands and looking all googly eyed at each other in the Piazza.'

'You were there as well, Jer,' Bass leaned back, smirking. 'He'll be pissed at you too.'

Jeremy glared at him, 'Yeah, I know.'

'Why are you so worried, Jeremy?' Charlie finished her chino and used her finger to get the last little bits out, sucking them off and sighing with pleasure. 'I'm not, and neither is Bass. Miles is just going to yell a bit and throw a couple of punches then he'll be fine. It's not as though he's going to try to kill anyone…'

…..

Miles Matheson was way, way too pissed to sleep, he kept seeing Charlie hand in fucking hand with Bass in Venice, looking up at the womanizing bastard like he was something she wanted to gobble up and Jeremy just standing there letting it fucking happen. And as for the stuff on the newsfeeds, Bass couldn't deny it now, or pretend he was just being friendly, he and Charlie were up there in full fucking colour behaving like idiots. The pictures kept going over and over in his mind until he had to fight the urge to rage up and down the aisles and hit something. Anything...

His hands clenched into fists and his face tightened into lines of harsh tension, eyes angry, dark holes. He'd known that Charlie had a thing for Bass and he should have fucking stopped her going, but Bass shouldn't have encouraged her, shouldn't have...

'Sir? Are you having trouble sleeping? Can I get you another pillow?' The bubbly voice and radiant smile of a pretty, sweetly blond flight attendant registered on his consciousness through a red haze.

He turned towards her, shaking his head, trying really hard not to look like he was planning to seriously mess up the grinning, sex fiend face of his soon to be ex best friend.

It didn't work… the stewardess stood very still, eyes wide, like a startled bunny caught in headlights, the smile still there but just a little too bright. 'No? I'll just leave you to relax then shall I, Sir? Just press your button if you change your mind.' Then she turned and flounced off to annoy someone else.

Miles very carefully relaxed the death grip he had on the armrests and took a deep breath. Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe Bass hadn't done anything to Charlie. Maybe Charlie hadn't let him… And maybe the sky was green with purple spots. Crap.

'I can see you're nervous, dear, but we'll be ok I promise, this airline has an excellent safety record.' The motherly woman in the seat next to him patted his hand, smiling. 'I used to get nervous too, but then I started taking valium before every flight, and now I'm just fine.' She winked and lowered her voice to a whisper, 'you should try it too, and maybe you should lay off the whiskey, alcohol doesn't help at all.' She winked again, 'believe me I know.'

Miles opened his mouth but nothing came out. He somehow managed a weak smile. 'Thanks, I'll bear it in mind.' Then he shut his eyes, pretending to go to sleep, cursing helpful old drug addict ladies, annoyingly perky flight attendants and all the stupid fucking tourists sitting around him heading off on their stupid fucking holidays. Slowly counting the bruises he was going to leave on a certain ex childhood friend's smirking, cradle snatching face. He hated long flights.

Miles gritted his teeth and focused on the hum of the engines and the snores of the other passengers hoping he'd fall asleep out of sheer fucking boredom.

Just a few hours to go…

…..

It was three am in Venice and parts of the city were still awake and partying…

Jeremy had heard about a great nightclub on an island in the lagoon, and the three of them had caught a vaporetto out to have a look after they finished at Starbucks.

'Wow…' Charlie and Bass had escaped the dance floor for some air and were in the rooftop garden of the converted mediaeval fort turned nightclub, hot and sweaty from the crowded ballroom and the pounding rythms of a really, really good DJ and leaning on a stone parapet looking out at the lagoon. The air was warm and fragrant, the waters bright with reflections from the carpet of stars above them and the ribbons of coloured lights from other islands and the trails of phosphorescence left behind by vaporettos snaking over the lagoon were like neon drawings on an dark canvas... The thud of music and the hum of voices and laughter wafted up to them from the lower levels and torches set amongst statues and topiary shrubs in ornate pots sent shadows dancing on the flagstone floors...

They were alone up here, out of sight... Jeremy had found a gorgeous woman to talk to – Brazilian or Columbian maybe? Anyway the two of them had been dancing up close and very personal on the dance floor when she and Bass had decided to go exploring before heading back to the Palazzo. He was going to make his own way back, later.

Charlie couldn't believe how beautiful it all was, the lights of the city, the silhouettes of the islands with their incredible skylines against the starry night sky and the light rippled mirror of the lagoon. It was just magic and she'd almost worn out the button on her phone taking photos and vids and posting them as she went. Danny was over the moon, and envy just didn't cover it for her other friends back home. Although they were mostly still buzzing about Bass carrying her off after the fight, they kept asking what had happened next. She'd kept them all guessing though… Nora hadn't posted anything or replied to messages, which was kind of odd, although neither had her mom and dad, but they didn't do much on social media anyway... She leaned back against the tall, hard body behind her, 'I think maybe Nora's following Miles out here.'

Bass had his hands round her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder, 'wouldn't surprise me, it sounds like she likes him enough to want to stop him doing something stupid...'

Charlie turned her head so his scruff brushed her cheek, loving the feel of his fingers spreading out over her ribs, his thumbs trailing circles around the sides of her breasts and his lips exploring the sensitive skin under her ear, 'Mom and dad were away such a lot, but he's always been there for me and Danny, even though he went off the rails a bit after you left, and then when he heard that Emma had died…' She stopped, pressing a soft kiss at the side of his mouth, an apology. 'He was hurting for such a long time… and then he met Nora, and she likes him a whole lot and he likes her too. He's even started shaving every day.'

The sound of his laugh vibrated through her, making her shiver, 'that's pretty conclusive…' He was quiet for a moment, his arms circled around her, pulling her close. 'Charlie, I know I told you that I don't do relationships well, and I had some really good reasons to say that, but whatever it is that's happening between us?' he leaned further round so he could see her face, 'I hope you don't want it to end just yet, I hope you want to see how far we can go with it...'

Charlie gazed up into those amazing eyes, her heart pounding, wondering if he knew that he'd just said the thing she most wanted to hear him say…

She leaned back against him, his chest a wall of muscle behind her, his thighs hard and strong against hers, his cock a hardening ridge pressing between the cheeks of her ass, her shoes just making her tall enough for her to feel him there… The breeze blew her hair back, tangling with his curls, catching in his scruff. 'I don't want it to end, Bass and I am so glad I came to Venice...'

His eyes lit up, warm and so intense on hers. 'So am I... But I'm sorry, I think we both know Miles isn't going to understand, not at first anyway and I'm probably going to have to hit him a few times before he'll calm down enough to talk about it.'

She laughed, because he was right, Miles was as stubborn as… but she couldn't actually think of anything as stubborn as Miles. 'Bass, if he doesn't understand by now that I'm old enough to know what I want and that I want you, I'm probably going to have to hit him as well...'

The arms around her tightened in a bear hug that made her gasp, and as his lips came down on hers in a kiss that made her feel like she was floating, one of his hands slid down over her waist and the long curve of her thigh down to the floating hem of her dress, sliding underneath then back up, his fingers raising goosebumps as he followed the long, slim curves of her leg, slipping under the damp silk of her panties and sliding into the slick, swollen folds between her legs. She pushed into his hand, her clit mashing wet against his fingers sending sparks of sensation radiating outwards like little whirling suns.

She sucked in a breath, her knees buckling… one of her own hands reaching behind her for his zip, the other hanging onto the wall. As soon as his fly was open she reached inside to wrap her fingers around the thick, hot velvet hardness of his cock, sliding her hand up and down the long, heavy length of him, feeling him surge bigger, harder in her hand, velvet over iron, his heart beating faster too, she could feel it...

He moved against her hand, hips thrusting, pushing her fingers between her own ass cheeks wrapped around his cock.

His lips left hers and he looked around, his breath ragged. 'There's no one up here but us, Charlie,' he bent back to her ear, his voice a wicked, hoarse whisper, his fingers dancing between her legs, making her writhe against him, helpless while two of his fingers slipped inside her, stroking in and out. 'What do you think? Do you want to chance it?'

She laughed, his breath tickling, making her shiver, her heart racing with excitement, 'I'm in if you are…'

He licked the edge of her ear then kissed the base of her neck, his teeth gently nipping the sensitive flesh there as his fingers slid in and out of her pussy, 'Oh, I'm definitely in…' Then he pulled out, his hand sliding, wet with her juices, down over her thigh to the hem of her dress, 'and I love those shoes, you're just tall enough.'

She let go of his cock, her fingers squeezing a farewell, brushing over the taut skin of his belly, 'tall enough for what?'

'Hold on to the wall and spread your legs, Charlie' his voice was low and deep, harsh with the need to be inside her.

She did as he said, standing as tall as she could, the stone rough on her hands and forearms as he lifted the back of her dress just enough to give him access but not enough for anyone else to see if someone came up on the roof... She felt the head of his cock, thick, hot and slippery between her ass cheeks and spread her legs a little wider, hearing his laugh, his hands spreading her cheeks wider still, his thumbs playing with the little pucker of her asshole, spreading her there too.

She gasped as that sent a jolt through her body like a fucking electric shock and she pushed her ass out towards him, wanting more of it, 'Bass…'

He laughed some more, low, hoarse, his fingers gripping her flesh, thumbs stroking out now, over the slick, sensitive skin between her cheeks, making her quiver with wanting him… 'Next time, Charlie, next time.'

She felt his cock head at her core then, so thick and with one thrust he was inside her, all the way inside, pushing her into the wall and onto her toes with the strength of it, the softness of his balls slapping onto her flesh, his thighs meeting hers and the metal of his zip cool against her hot flesh.

She hung on to the stones, sensations rocketing through her as he pulled back out, then in again, spreading her out with each thrust, his cock sliding in and out in a rhythm that had them both panting, muscles trembling… One of his hands held her hip steady, letting him push in even deeper, harder, the other round the front of her again, his fingers circling, teasing and pulling her clit as he drove in from behind, lifting her up with each stroke, each thrust building sensation on sensation until her body was singing and she couldn't tell the stars from the lights reflecting on the water they were all sparkling so much…

….

They were sitting on the soft, velvet lined seats at the back of the open part of the cabin, Charlie leaning back against Bass, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her as the water taxi sped towards their dock. It was a beautiful night. The wind as they moved was warm and smooth and it swept her hair back, sliding over her skin like silk fingers. She closed her eyes and breathed him in, the delicious, spicy, male scent of his skin, loving the muscle padded chest and hard belly, his long, long legs.

She looked up at the sky, watching the little red lights blink on and off high above their heads, 'look, there's a plane coming in.'

His arm tightened around her and she felt his lips in her hair, 'Maybe Miles won't be mad, maybe he'll give us his blessing and a bunch of flowers…'

Her laugh rang out and disappeared, blown behind them by the wind…

…

AN: Hi! Hope you enjoyed that, more soon


	6. Chapter 6

**What happens in Venice - part 6**

A Revolution fic: Bass Monroe/Charlie Matheson, Jeremy Baker. Charloe; No Blackout AU.

Sebastian Monroe has a well-earned reputation as a stunt man, fighter and womanizer and his Agent and friend, Jeremy Baker is used to smoothing the way, dealing with hotel suites, publicity, twitter accounts, restaurant bookings and jealous boyfriends, as well as organising his MMA bouts, video shoots and generally doing everything but brush his teeth…

Charlie Matheson has known Jeremy for years. A long time friend of her family, he's been a shoulder to cry on, a strong arm when she needed a sparring partner and always there for her to talk to when her family were busy with other things - which was most of the time. She also knows Bass, although she hasn't seen him up close since he left Jasper when she was a teenager with a major crush...

After a raging argument with her mom, Charlie has to get away. Jeremy and Bass are working in Venice, so she decides to fly there to meet up with them…

 **Author's note:**

Hi there and thanks so much for reading and joining me for the sixth and final part of this birthday story for Hayj, and for the lovely comments! Hope you enjoy, Happy birthday, Hay! Magpie

' **What happens in Venice - part 6**

A luminous full moon was riding high in the sky with a flurry of small silver white clouds skating towards it and the stars were fading at the horizon as the earth rolled towards dawn.

As the water taxi chugged across the lagoon towards the Canale, Charlie took a deep breath of the warm, richly layered air, trying to catch the scents of Venice so she could remember them forever. 'I love Venice, Bass.' She looked up at him from the warm, firm pillow of his lap, her legs stretched out over the seat, one hand playing on his chest, the other draped over his knees. Her whole body was buzzing on a completely different plane of existence after one of the most exciting, fantastic days of her life. It was like she'd won the lottery or something.

She was with Bass and it was even better than she'd imagined, and that was saying something...

Her hand made it up to his beard and she ran her fingers through the soft, wiry curls, careful of the bruise he had building there from the fight, humming a few bars from a song they'd danced to tonight...

He chuckled, running the fingers of one hand down her thigh, the other playing with her hair, stroking her scalp. 'Yeah, it's pretty special… and even better since you arrived.' He took her hands, pulling her up until she was sitting on him, his arms around her, chin over her shoulder, his lips trailing kisses over her cheek and down the side of her neck.

She sighed, little shivers of pleasure rippling up and down her spine, leaning back against him as the picture postcard landscape of the Grand Canale floated towards them. It was quiet now and the ranks of tall, beautiful buildings were hard edged in shadows under the moonlight, disappearing into a dark distance except for pools of light from the few other boats on the water, lamps hung on fairytale balconies or shining through curtained windows and the shimmering glow of streetlights. And then, just to finish it off, everything was painted on the water in rippled reflections. 'It's perfect.' She turned her face up to his. 'Totally perfect.'

He tightened his arms around her. 'We'll have to come back then.' he dropped a kiss on her waiting lips, 'maybe we can talk about it in Jasper?'

She drew back so she could see his eyes. They were passing one of the private docks and his face was lit by the lights, in shadow then bright, then shadow again, his eyes glowing blue then purple then back to blue, bright with a light sheen of tears. 'Bass?'

He lifted a hand and ran a finger down the side of her face. 'This part of the shoot's nearly over and I think it's way past time I went home for a visit,' he dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead. 'Would you go with me Charlie?'

Her eyes stung and she blinked to clear them, not able to say anything for a moment, he hadn't been home since the accident... 'Of course I'll go with you, if you want me to.'

His arms tightened around her, and she felt his chest rise and fall in a huge, shuddering sigh, 'good… that's good.' Then his head dipped and she felt his lips land feather light on hers in a kiss that was so sweet and soft that she felt her heart jump into her throat like it was a boulder a mile wide.

She leaned into him, deepening the kiss, the wind wrapping him in her hair and the sway of the boat pressing them back against the cushioned seats, her body tight against his and the taste of him racing through her veins like Miles' best whiskey…

….

'Signore?' The cheerful voice blew back from the front of the boat. They were nearly at the Palazzo.

Bass carefully untangled himself from a sleeping Charlie, then settled her back against the cushions and brushed a long strand of hair away from her face. He gazed at her for a moment, his eyes soft. Her face was relaxed, glowing in the moonlight, the skin of her arms, shoulders and the luscious curves of her breasts pale and smooth against the black of her dress. Her eyelashes were long, dark fans against her cheeks, her hair in a gorgeous mess against the cushions and her full lips open just a little, a tiny snore escaping on each breath.

She looked beautiful, exotic…like something out of one of the paintings in the palazzo, or a luxury magazine spread and she'd woven herself so completely into his life in one day that he couldn't imagine her not being in it now.

One of her shoes had fallen off and he bent down to put it back on, his fingers lingering on the fine bones of her ankle and the delicate silver anklet that glittered there… Then he hooked her bag and wrap over his wrist and gathered her up into his arms, her head falling against his shoulder, her long, slim legs folded over his arm and draped in the skirt of her dress, and her feet, elegant in the heels, swinging a little as he carried her to the boarding ramp.

She stayed asleep, although her eyes fluttered and she mumbled something that he couldn't catch, one of her arms snaking round his neck, the other round his waist, holding him tight.

He carried her off the boat and onto the dock, the pilot's wide, knowing smile and soft 'buona sera, signore' wafting after them.

Taking her weight on one arm and leaning against the wall, he had just got the doors to the Palazzo open when he felt someone behind him, heard the warning brush of a hand against brick and knew who it was, even before he turned around.

He braced the door open with his foot, holding Charlie close, and turned. 'Hey Miles'

'What did you do to her, Bass? I know you. What did you do?' Miles came closer. Looming big, dark, and so pissed he was vibrating.

'Keep your voice down, you moron, she's asleep. She's had a long day.' Bass opened the door wider. 'Come on inside, we can talk about it where we won't get arrested…' He tucked Charlie carefully against him and went inside, stopping at the open doors of the old cage lift. 'Put your jacket and bag on the floor.'

Miles was just behind him, his voice a harsh whisper, 'what?'

'The floor's metal, I want something soft to put her on while we have our little chat.'

Miles hesitated…

Bass rolled his eyes, 'listen, I'm not taking you upstairs till I know you're not gonna break anything, ok? There's some valuable shit up there.' He shifted his shoulders, 'and hurry up, Charlie might be little but she's pretty solid…'

Miles sucked in a breath, 'Fuck…' Then he shook his head. 'Ok, hang on a minute.' He slung his duffel bag off his shoulder then stripped off his coat, arranging them across the floor of the lift.

Bass brushed past him, lowering Charlie onto the makeshift bed, making sure her head was on the softest part of the bag and smoothing the dress down over her thighs. It was taking him a while to get her to lie down though. Her hands kept clinging to his shoulders, her arms twining around his neck... He chuckled, keeping it quiet, then captured a hand and pressed a kiss to the backs of her fingers.

She smiled in her sleep, sighed and slid down until she lay back on Miles' coat, looking impossibly lovely and as out of place lying there as… well, a beautiful girl in an expensive dress lying on the floor of an old lift in a Venetian palace.

He held her hand in both of his for a long moment, kissed it again then put it gently down, laying the wrap over her shoulders and her bag down next to her. He stripped off his duster and put it over her too. It was cooler inside than it had been out in the warm summer night, especially lying on a metal floor. Then he stood up. The sooner he sorted things out with his oldest friend and very angry bird, the sooner he could get her upstairs and into a proper bed.

Miles was standing by the door looking at him, at them, a dark silhouette with the light on the wall a pale, gleaming circle behind his head. Dangerously still, his eyes glittering...

Bass shrugged and headed along the hall towards the big double doors into the abandoned apartment on the ground floor, not bothering to check if his brother was following. Because of course he was... 'Come with me to the Casbah, Miles.'

The lights still worked inside the apartment and he flipped them on. The owners kept the place as well maintained as they could, although much of the decorative tiled floor was an inch or so deep in water and there were bits of rubbish brought in by the tides scattered in drifted piles around the room. The brickwork near the ground was crumbling, the mortar eaten away and damp and mould were creeping up the plaster walls in a sad record of rising water levels. The rooms were big though, and looked bigger empty of furniture and fittings with their high, ornate plaster ceilings and gorgeous, fading wall paintings. But everything smelled of dust and slow, wet decay with underlying traces of lavender, lemons, mothballs and mice...

'Well isn't this just peachy,' Miles followed him inside like an approaching storm, kicking a crumpled paper cup and a tattered carnivale mask out of the way. 'You're fucking Charlie in a set from a James Bond movie.' He came closer, hands clenched, breath harsh, his eyes narrowed and furious black. 'You're fucking Charlie, Bass. How could you do that? She's been in love with you for years, and you know it. And you also know how much it's going to fucking hurt her when you drop her and move on to the next pretty face.' He stabbed his finger at Bass' chest, pushing him back with each stab. 'Because that's what you do, that's what you always do.'

Bass let him push. This might be the worst of it, or so he hoped anyway, although he knew that look. Miles was locked and loaded and ready to fire and he was so close Bass could feel his breath, see each hair of the thick stubble on his cheeks and breathe in the sweat of a long journey and the faintest trace of whisky.

Showtime. 'Charlie's different, Miles...'

The fist came out of nowhere, knocking him back off his feet and onto the floor and he felt blood trickling down his cheek and water soaking into his pants and the back of his shirt. It was cold, smelly and probably full of flesh eating bacteria. He wiped the blood away with the sleeve of his shirt and got back to his feet, the filthy water trickling down his back and legs.

Miles was waiting for him, hit him again and down he went, hard and into another puddle. Shit...

Miles was staring down at him, chest heaving, 'you're right, Bass, Charlie's different, but you're still the same womanising bastard you've always been, and always will be.'

Bass got up again and backed away, his hands up. 'You're wrong, Miles. And yeah, I've played around, what's wrong with that? It's not like any of them said no. But you don't know how I feel about Charlie, you haven't even asked me.'

Miles was coming towards him in a black rage, eyes blazing, his shoulders stiff, hands clenched, 'I don't care how you feel, I care about Charlie…'

Bass saw the fist coming at him again, but this time he dodged it. He could feel himself slowing down though. It had been a long day for him too and it was catching up. 'So do I, moron. That's what I've been trying to tell you.'

Miles came at him again but this time Bass caught his arm and swung him around, twisting him into a tight hold, holding his arm up behind his back, both of them breathing heavy as they struggled, water splashing and dust flying around them...

Miles caught him a good one on the same cheekbone as the Venetian had and Bass saw stars before he managed to get his other hand around Miles' throat, holding him against the wall.

If his brother had been as fit as he was back when they were sparring partners it would have been a whole crapload harder but he wasn't and Bass held tight, feeling the raging tension in Miles' body as he twisted, trying to get free. Shit. He'd had enough… 'For fuck's sake, Miles, stop it, just stop. You've been my best friend for as long as I can remember and I don't want to fight you. And I love Charlie.' He let go and stepped back, wary but determined. 'I love her, Miles.'

Miles stayed where he was, looking at the floor, panting, hands on his knees… 'How do you know that, Bass? You thought you loved Emma once too, remember?'

'I was seventeen for fuck's sake, I was thinking with the wrong head, and I already told you I was sorry like a million times. Give me a break...' Bass was getting pissed now, that was something he'd thought was long gone. 'This is different.'

Miles sighed, the tension running out of him and leaving him looking tired, resigned. Then he turned round, 'She deserves more, Bass. She deserves someone her own age, someone sweet, an accountant maybe. Someone safe. Not a fighter, not a guy who makes his living trying to kill himself.' His eyes darted to the door. 'Charlie...'

Bass swung round.

She was leaning against the doorframe, her arms folded in front, shaking her head. 'Someone safe, Miles? I don't want someone safe, I'd be bored to tears in a week and they'd end up hating me or I'd end up hating them. And don't forget, I'm a fighter too.' She walked over to Bass, sliding her arm round him, her other hand spreading over his chest.

His arm went around her too, holding her tight.

She looked at Miles, holding his eyes. 'I want Bass, Miles. I've always wanted him, and I think he wants me too.'

He bent and kissed the top of her head. 'You know it, Charlie.'

She smiled up at him then back at Miles. 'Life doesn't come with any guarantees, Miles, I know that, and I don't expect any, but I'm willing to take the same chances as anyone else to be happy, can't you see that?'

Miles shook his head. 'Shit…' He came closer, his hands going up when she frowned and moved in front of Bass. 'It's ok, Charlie, I'm not going to do anything, it's just…'

She let go and went to him, pulling him into a hug, feeling his heart beating against her cheek, his shoulders and chest broad, strong, like they'd always been. 'I know, Miles, and you know that I love you, but you can stop worrying about me so much now.' She looked up, needing him to understand, but he was so much taller than her that she had to lean right back to see his face, to see her face reflected in those dark eyes. 'You've been there more and done more for me than my parents ever did, but I'm all grown up now. And I'm strong and smart and I know what I want, mostly thanks to you. So have some faith in me, ok?'

He held her tight, the worry about her sliding down the scale just a little, because she was right, he was acting like she was still a kid… 'I'm sorry kiddo.'

She hugged him tighter, 'that's my Miles…' She let go and stepped back, 'now say sorry to Bass too, ok?'

Miles looked like he'd swallowed something nasty, then cleared his throat, 'Ok… I'm sorry that I ruined your suit, Bass, it looked expensive.'

Bass shrugged. 'At least it wasn't my duster, that's one of a kind...' He checked his jaw, fingers careful over the new bruises. 'And you're lucky I've still got all my teeth, Jeremy would have been one very pissed PA if you'd knocked one out just as he'd got me an actual part in the movie.' He grabbed the tail of his shirt and wrung it out, water dripping to the floor, 'now I think we should go upstairs, I need to get these clothes off before I start sprouting some kind of flesh eating fungus. There could be anything living in the water down here...'

Charlie jumped and sped up as she headed to the door, her eyes a little panicked, 'flesh eating fungus? What flesh eating fungus?'

Miles smirked at Bass as he followed her out, 'you jump out of buildings but you're afraid of a little fungus?'

Bass turned off the light and shut the door, 'damn straight…'

'It used to be snakes.'

'It's snakes and fungus, Miles. There was this job we did in Africa, and…'

They'd just got to the lift when the doorbell chimed, something in Miles' bag blew reveille and Charlie's phone pinged a text, all at the same time.

Charlie checked her phone, 'It's Nora. She's here. She's outside.' She smirked at Bass, 'told you…'

He grinned back, 'and I agreed with you, remember?'

Miles reached for the door, yanking it open, 'Nora? What are you doing here?'

Nora Clayton strode in through the door, sleek in black leather and boots, her dark hair loose and shining and a low cut tank showing off a truly excellent figure. She smiled at Charlie and nodded to Bass. 'Guys, this place is fucking amazing…' then she turned to Miles. 'So after you flew off like a bat out of hell looking for blood I wanted to make sure everyone was ok, ok?'

He shrugged, looking round at the others. 'We're ok. Aren't we ok?'

Bass put his arm round Charlie, his shirt and pants still dripping water and the blood drying on his cheek from where Miles' fist connected with it. 'Well there is the little matter of who's going to pay for the dry cleaning...'

Charlie smiled, 'I'm pretty sure Miles has got that covered. Haven't you, Miles?'

He ran a hand through his hair. 'Yeah…I got it.'

'That's alright then, I'm glad I came…' Nora reached up with a slim brown hand and pulled him down into a long, hard kiss.

…

Later.

Bass groaned against the pillows in the big bed, his voice slightly muffled. 'Charlie, that feels so fucking good I think my bones are melting…'

She laughed, her hands working his calves deep and hard, the scent of roses, vanilla, cloves and eucalyptus filling the room from the candles around the room and the oil she was using. 'My course instructor says I've got good hands.' She poured more of the fragrant oil into her palms, warming it between them before working her way up the muscled thighs with long, strong strokes, her palms tingling from the little hairs on his legs and her thumbs finding the sensitive skin where his thighs met his ass on each up stroke, circling there, his ass cheeks rippling and breath catching as she did. 'Although she doesn't give us gorgeous naked men like you to work on.' She leaned down, pressing little sucking kisses over the springy flesh of his ass and along his spine, her tongue feathering cool stripes that made him shiver when she blew on them...

His shoulders tensed, the muscles rippling and flexing, his hips pushing down into the soft mattress to ease his cock... 'I'm with your instructor, the thought of you doing this to anyone else definitely isn't helping me relax.'

She laughed, pushing the heels of her hands into his glutes and working on loosening the knots there, 'Nora's my instructor.'

He twisted round so he could see her face. 'What, this Nora?'

'The Nora who's in my ex room sleeping with my uncle Miles? Yeah. That Nora. She has a lot of skills. I'm learning about explosives from her too...' Charlie straddled his hips, then leaned forward, her pussy pressed against his ass and her breasts cushioned on his back, her hands working his shoulders and biceps, her fingers unerringly finding the tight spots, the little tangled knots of muscle and sinew, her feet stroking down the outside of his legs, working him with the muscles of her thighs, her weight, her whole body...

He gasped… 'You guys in Jasper really are getting into the prepper thing aren't you?'

She squeezed one more time then relaxed and stretched out over him, resting her cheek on his back, her arms and legs framing his. 'It's an uncertain world, Bass, and knowing my mom and dad it's getting more and more uncertain every day.'

He went still for a moment, 'Do you really believe that?'

She sighed, her breath hot on his skin. 'Unfortunately, yes.'

He flipped around, easy with both their bodies slippery with oil and suddenly she was looking into his very awake, bluer than blue eyes, his cock hard against her belly, his hands roaming over her body, stroking, caressing…

She sucked in a breath as his hands found a sweet spot she didn't know she had, her body writhing on his…

He laughed, a deep male satisfaction in his voice, 'Well, we'd better make the most of today then.'

Finis.

AN: Thanks so much for reading and I really hope you enjoyed this final chapter of Hayj's birthday story. I really loved writing it, hope to see you at another story! :) Cheers, Magpie.


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